JD.com’s Richard Liu reasserts control at e-commerce empire, berating executives for poor performance as growth slows

In two video conference meetings across November and December, Liu criticised the company’s executives and, without naming any specific individuals, described some as “liars”, according to people briefed on the meetings. Liu spoke from Hong Kong after settling a civil case involving a rape allegation against him in the US in early October.

One JD employee who attended the December meeting and who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Liu talked about a senior management reshuffle. “Liu said only one and half vice-presidents in the retail business unit tells him the truth,” the employee said. “That unit has about 40 vice-presidents, so you can imagine the pressure on them.”

According to a second person familiar with the matter, Liu criticised JD Digits – formerly known as JD Technology – for sluggish performance, putting pressure on chief executive Li Yayun. Li was chief compliance officer for JD.com before she took over as head of JD Digits in 2021, shortly after it cancelled an IPO application amid tighter regulation of online credit.

While Liu has quit many frontline positions at the business empire he created, the 49-year-old has maintained control of JD.com through voting rights as well as a strategic committee he chairs. The Strategy Executive Committee of JD.com is made of 18 top executives but Liu remains the undisputed decision maker, one of the sources said.

Some of the content from Liu’s internal meetings has been previously reported by local media. According to local media outlet Huxiu, Liu spent one-and-a-half hours lecturing aides, criticising them for using fancy PowerPoint slides to cover up business incompetence.