Liu Qiangdong jokingly said: In the future, employees may only need to work one day a week or even one hour

Liu Qiangdong makes a strong return!

On November 7th, Liu Qiangdong, founder and chairman of the board of JD.com, attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit and delivered a speech.

After an eight-year absence, Liu Qiangdong returned to the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit. In his speech, Liu Qiangdong stated that with the arrival of the era of artificial intelligence and robotics, the proportion of social logistics costs in China's GDP will significantly decrease within the next five years.

In addition, Liu Qiangdong also described the digital logistics of JD.com in the era of intelligence, including technological advancements such as digital warehouses, unmanned trucks, and unmanned delivery stations, and presented a beautiful vision that “future employees may only need to work one day a week or even one hour.”

Within 5 years, the proportion of social logistics costs in China's GDP will drop to below 10%

Why did JD.com choose to enter the logistics industry? Liu Qiangdong mentioned that at that time, China's social logistics costs were significantly higher than those of developed countries, with the core reason being the disorganized flow of goods, meaning too many handling processes.

Liu Qiangdong pointed out that in 2006, the proportion of social logistics costs in China's GDP exceeded 18%, while at that time, the proportion in European and American countries was only 6% to 8%, and in Japan, it was even less than 6%. Such high social logistics costs lead to a massive waste of social resources, environmental damage, and inefficient logistics that erode a large amount of corporate profits.

“So we decided to enter the logistics industry, and we have been doing it for 18 years. Some say our delivery speed is fast and cheap, with just two yuan to send nationwide. In fact, express delivery is just a small part of the entire logistics industry. The core issue causing the high social logistics costs in our country is the disorganized flow of goods, with too many handling processes.”

Liu Qiangdong cited an example, stating that in 2007, a product in China had to be handled at least 7.2 times from production to delivery to the consumer. JD Logistics has always practiced “placing products as close to consumers as possible to reduce handling times and distances,” which will significantly lower social logistics costs.

According to Liu Qiangdong, last year, China's social logistics costs were 14.1%. If this proportion can be further reduced to only 6%, it means that within a year, enterprises could save hundreds of billions in net profits. The increase in corporate profits can drive technological advancement, and talent cultivation can lead to higher employee incomes, further promoting the entire economy into a positive cycle.

Liu Qiangdong emphasized, with the arrival of the era of artificial intelligence and robotics, he firmly believes that within the next five years, the proportion of social logistics costs in China's GDP can drop to below 10%. “In other words, the progress in the next five years may exceed that of the past 10 years, or even 15 years.”

The world's first fully unmanned distribution station will be completed in April next year

Liu Qiangdong introduced that JD Logistics' unmanned warehouse and other technologies have undergone 10 years of technological accumulation, and a large number of logistics automation equipment have already achieved simplified operation and scalable deployment capabilities. Once high-density solid-state batteries can be mass-produced, industries such as robots and drones will usher in a new wave of rapid growth.

"Our warehouse automation has already been realized from a technical perspective. The testing of unmanned trucks within JD has exceeded 700,000 kilometers, and the testing of unmanned vehicles solving the 'last mile' problem has long surpassed several million kilometers," Liu Qiangdong said.

He introduced that by April next year, JD will build the world's first fully unmanned distribution station. "This is a foundational construction, with several drones above, all unmanned delivery vehicles below, and mechanical arms inside, with all cargo loading for drones and unmanned vehicles completed by robots."

Not long ago, JD Logistics announced that in the next five years, it plans to purchase 3 million robots, 1 million unmanned vehicles, and 100,000 drones, fully investing in the entire logistics supply chain scenario.

In the era of digital intelligence, what will happen to employees' work? Liu Qiangdong pointed out that automation equipment does not conflict with employee employment, and this issue can be easily resolved. First, robots will free humans from heavy labor, reducing the intensity of physical and repetitive work, allowing frontline employees to work in conditions where "the wind does not hit the head, and the rain does not hit the face," and significantly reducing employees' working hours, "in the future, employees may only need to work one day a week or even one hour."

Secondly, technological development will also create a large number of new positions. Previously, Liu Qiangdong has repeatedly stated that when developing equipment such as drones and unmanned vehicles, modular design must be implemented to ensure that couriers can participate in easier operational monitoring and equipment maintenance after simple training.

In addition, technological development will also give rise to a large number of new demands and new services. Liu Qiangdong pointed out that in the next five years or so, the global tourism market may experience tenfold growth. In exploring art and tourism, a large number of new professions will also be created.

Author of this article: Chenxi, Source: China Fund News, Original title: "Liu Qiangdong jokingly says: In the future, employees may only need to work one day a week or even one hour"

Risk warning and disclaimer

The market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the specific investment goals, financial conditions, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their specific circumstances. Investment based on this is at their own risk