Liu Qiangdong: We will create a completely different business model from Meituan

With the arrival of the annual "6·18" shopping festival, major e-commerce platforms in China have launched various promotional policies, igniting consumer enthusiasm. As the initiator of "6·18," JD.com is undoubtedly the center of attention.

On June 17, Liu Qiangdong, Chairman of the Board of JD Group, addressed hot topics such as competition with Meituan and the issuance of stablecoins at a sharing session.

Discussing Recent Developments: The Past Five Years Have Been JD's "Lost Five Years," and Innovation Efforts Will Continue to Increase

At the event, Liu Qiangdong spent nearly an hour reviewing the arduous journey of the company over its 27 years of establishment, including strategic choices and considerations during key moments such as the SARS outbreak, the Wenchuan earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liu Qiangdong spoke with great confidence. He expressed particular pride in the company's commitment to launching an innovative model every three years since its inception.

However, when mentioning the recent five years, he suddenly shifted his tone, stating that this period has been JD's "lost five years," primarily because the company did not introduce any new models during this time. Concurrently, the company faced issues such as declining market share and slowing growth.

"The core issue is the weakening of innovation efforts and the decline of entrepreneurial spirit," Liu Qiangdong stated, adding that the company will continue to strengthen its fighting spirit and will launch six innovative projects, including the issuance of stablecoins, in the short term.

Discussing Artificial Intelligence: JD Will Increase Training for Delivery Personnel to Adapt to Technological Changes

With the expansion of the delivery business, JD has recently seen a surge in workforce numbers, with full-time delivery riders numbering between 3,000 and 5,000 daily. Based on this calculation, by the end of the second quarter, JD Group's total employee count is expected to reach 900,000. This trend is certainly a positive sign for the current severe employment situation.

Liu Qiangdong revealed that as emerging business sectors continue to advance, JD's employee count will exceed one million.

While accelerating "hiring," JD's unmanned delivery is also progressing steadily. Just last month, Beijing's high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone issued the first batch of vehicle codes for unmanned delivery vehicles in the country, with JD Logistics being one of the first licensed companies, receiving the vehicle code JD0001, thus becoming the first to implement unmanned delivery vehicles "with a license." The number of unmanned delivery vehicles will continue to increase, which will undoubtedly "take away" some jobs from delivery personnel and riders, leading to a reduction in positions provided by the company to society.

"How to resolve the contradiction between 'human' and 'machine'?" In response, Liu Qiangdong stated that with the continuous increase of artificial intelligence and robots, when the employee scale reaches 1.2 million in the future, growth will slow down, and some delivery personnel may transition to maintenance and servicing of unmanned delivery robots. Therefore, JD will increase training for delivery personnel to better adapt to the upcoming changes.

Discussing Stablecoins: They Will Better Support JD's Cross-Border E-Commerce and Overseas Expansion Strategy

Recently, stablecoins have become a focal point of attention. Just last month, the U.S. Senate passed procedural legislation for the "Guidance and Establishment of a National Innovation Framework for U.S. Stablecoins" (the "GENIUS Act"), paving the way for a regulatory framework tailored for stablecoins. In the following days, Hong Kong passed the "Stablecoin Regulation Draft" and designated August 1, 2025, as the implementation date for the "Stablecoin Regulation." On June 5th, Circle, the first stock of stablecoins, officially went public, and within just two days, the stock price surged to $107.7, a cumulative increase of 247% compared to the issue price ($31).

JD.com, as one of the first three institutions selected for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's stablecoin issuer sandbox, became the first company in mainland China to "eat the crab" in stablecoins.

"Why is JD.com so enthusiastic about stablecoins?" At the scene, a reporter from Daily Economic News threw the question to Liu Qiangdong. In response, he said that this is because stablecoins have strong liquidity and payment convenience, which can better support JD.com's cross-border e-commerce and overseas expansion strategy.

On the topic of Pang Donglai: JD.com and Pang Donglai's business philosophies are completely aligned

In the past two years, Pang Donglai Supermarket, originating from Xuchang, Henan, has gained immense popularity and is referred to as a 6A-level scenic spot and the ceiling of supermarkets, frequently trending in discussions. At the event, a media outlet asked Liu Qiangdong how he views the Pang Donglai phenomenon.

In response, Liu Qiangdong stated that as retail enterprises, the achievements and philosophies of Pang Donglai are worthy of respect. Essentially, JD.com and Pang Donglai's business philosophies are completely the same. Externally, they provide customers with high-quality products and services as well as a good consumption experience; internally, they continuously enhance employee welfare. In short, it revolves around people, serving people, and benefiting people. On this level, although the two companies have different models, their intrinsic values are highly aligned.

From the very beginning, JD.com has insisted on purchasing "five insurances and one fund" for frontline delivery personnel. Compared to the outsourcing model, this will increase the company's costs by hundreds of billions, but for the sake of employee interests, JD.com is willing to do so.

On the "JD vs. Meituan" battle: Facts will prove that JD.com has a completely different business model from Meituan

In February of this year, JD.com officially announced its entry into the food delivery market. They not only launched a "zero commission" policy to attract chain merchants but also announced that they would pay five insurances and one fund for full-time riders, thus initiating the competitive drama between JD.com and Meituan. Now, more than four months have passed, and this "JD vs. Meituan" battle is still in full swing. Just last month, the average daily number of users opening JD.com's food delivery app rose to 169 million, surpassing Meituan after two years.

At the event, a media outlet posed the question to JD.com: "Why choose to enter the food delivery field, and how do you view the competition with Meituan?"

In response, Liu Qiangdong smiled and said, "In the long run, competition is beneficial for the sustainable development of the industry. What everyone sees is our delivery battle with Meituan, but we emphasize the fresh supply chain behind the delivery. Selling meals at the front end will never be profitable; we need to make money through the supply chain. In the future, we will create a business model that is completely different from Meituan and hope this model can allow consumers to buy high-cost-performance and safe food."

He also mentioned that he recently intends to invite Wang Xing for a face-to-face exchange, "to have a drink, chat, and jointly promote the healthy development of the entire delivery industry while doing food delivery."

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