Breaking

JD.com to Retrain 700,000 Couriers for Robot Maintenance

June 22, 2026 at 05:01 EDT

Robotics
Sales & Business
Recruiting & HR

JD.com founder and chair Richard Liu has unveiled an internal program called the "Nirvana Plan" (涅槃计划) to retrain around 700,000 couriers, signing contracts with about 120 schools across China for technical training such as robot repair and maintenance. Liu outlined the initiative at the 2026 APEC China CEO Forum on June 21, 2026, according to reports.

June 2026 · JD.com

Retraining 700,000 Couriers to Fix the Robots That Replace Them

Founder Richard Liu unveils "Project Nirvana," a plan to shift blue-collar delivery workers into white-collar roles — robot repair, automation upkeep and AI skills — vowing "700,000 brothers" won't lose their livelihoods to automation.

~700K

Couriers targeted for retraining

~120

Schools signed up to train

900K+

Total JD workforce (Mar 31, 2026)

The reach of the pledge vs. the confirmed goal

700,000 promised — 10,000 conversions targeted (≈2%)

~700,000

Couriers in scope of pledge

~10,000

Conversion goal over 3 years

The reported 3-year target reaches only about 2% of the workers the pledge names.

Courier

Blue-collar delivery work

→

Training at schools

Robot repair · automation · AI

→

Technician / office

White-collar maintenance role

Seen favorably

An explicit headcount and a named program signal forward-looking, organized execution — and a stated commitment to remain China's largest private employer.

The skeptics' view

A candid admission that robots are replacing people. The ~2% conversion target is modest, profits fell sharply year-on-year in Q1 2026, and outcomes for graduates remain unconfirmed.

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