People who search for “Richard Liu and Serena Williams” usually want to know who these two high-profile figures are and whether they are linked. They are two separate people from very different worlds. Richard Liu is the founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Serena Williams is a retired tennis champion with 23 Grand Slam singles titles and the founder of the investment firm Serena Ventures. As of November 2026, I found no verified business partnership, sponsorship, joint appearance or public statement connecting them.
Quick Answer: Who Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams?
Liu, known in China as Liu Qiangdong, built one of China’s largest online retailers. Williams dominated women’s tennis for more than two decades and is now an investor and entrepreneur. The only thing they clearly share is that both are founders and business builders at the top of their fields. Nothing in the reliable sources I checked shows that they know each other or have worked together.
Is There a Verified Connection Between Them?
No. I searched for any shared company, deal, event or statement involving both, and the results returned no such link. The closest thing to an overlap I found was incidental: a Fortune newsletter dated September 6, 2018 covered the news about Liu and, in a separate item further down, a story about Williams’s tennis comeback. Both appeared in the same email because they were news that day, not because the two were connected.
Another possible source of confusion is the name Richard. Serena Williams’s father and early coach was Richard Williams, a different person from Richard Liu. Anyone mixing up the two Richards could end up with misleading results.
Who Is Richard Liu?
Richard Qiangdong Liu founded JD.com and has been chairman of its board since the company began. According to the company’s investor relations page, he served as chief executive until April 2022. He received a sociology degree from Renmin University of China in 1996 and an EMBA from the China Europe International Business School in 2011.
Building JD.com
Liu started Jingdong in 1998 as a retail store selling magneto-optical products and moved the business online as JD.com in 2004. The company became known for its own logistics network and fast delivery. JD.com’s 2014 New York listing was, at the time, the largest initial public offering by a Chinese company, although Alibaba’s listing later that year surpassed it.
Role Today
JD.com says Liu now focuses on long-term strategy and international growth as chairman, while Sandy Xu serves as chief executive and leads daily operations. The company’s recent filings also list him as chairman of listed affiliates JD Logistics, JD Health and Jingdong Industrials. The Financial Times reported in 2024 that he had been leading the company from London, a claim JD.com addressed by saying the CEO oversees daily operations.
The 2018 Minnesota Case
In late August 2018, Liu was arrested in Minnesota on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct and released the following afternoon. He and JD.com said the accusation was false. In December 2018, U.S. prosecutors decided not to file charges because of insufficient evidence, and he was never charged. This article does not cover any later civil proceedings, because I did not verify them.
Who Is Serena Williams?
Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open, becoming the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era after Althea Gibson in 1958. Over her career she won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, as well as 14 doubles titles with her sister Venus and four Olympic gold medals.
Retirement From Tennis
Williams announced in August 2022 that she was “evolving away” from tennis, and her last match came at the 2022 US Open that September. Her final major title was the 2017 Australian Open. Career prize money was roughly $94 million, the most by any female athlete according to the sources I checked.
Business and Investing
After tennis, Williams focused on entrepreneurship. She founded Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm that backs early-stage companies, and launched the clothing label S by Serena in 2018. She is married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit.
Richard Liu and Serena Williams Compared
| Richard Liu | Serena Williams | |
|---|---|---|
| Field | E-commerce and logistics | Professional tennis; venture investing |
| Best-known achievement | Founded JD.com | 23 Grand Slam singles titles |
| Current role | Chairman of JD.com | Founder, Serena Ventures |
| Public profile | Business leader; one of China’s best-known entrepreneurs | Global sports icon |
| Documented link to the other | None found | None found |
What Do They Have in Common?
Both are founders who turned individual drive into large, lasting enterprises. Liu built a retail and logistics empire from a single store, and Williams turned athletic fame into an investment platform. They also both operate with international audiences. This is a thematic comparison, not evidence of any relationship.
What About Net Worth?
Published net worth figures for both people vary widely and come mostly from third-party estimates that I could not confirm. Treat any single number as an estimate rather than a verified amount. Liu’s wealth is tied largely to his stake in JD.com, so it moves with the share price, and Williams’s wealth is a mix of career earnings, endorsements and investments.
What Is Verified and What Is Not
Verified: each person’s career, titles and roles, as stated in company filings, official biographies and major news coverage.
Not verified: any personal or business relationship between them, any joint sponsorship or investment, and exact net worth for either person.
Q: Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams connected?
A: No verified business partnership, sponsorship or joint appearance was found. They work in different fields.
Q: Who is Richard Liu?
A: Richard Liu, known in China as Liu Qiangdong, is the founder and chairman of JD.com. He served as its chief executive until April 2022.
Q: Is Richard Liu still the CEO of JD.com?
A: No. He remains chairman, while Sandy Xu serves as chief executive.
Q: What happened with Richard Liu in Minnesota in 2018?
A: He was arrested on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct and released the next day. He and JD.com said the accusation was false, and U.S. prosecutors declined to file charges in December 2018 for insufficient evidence.
Q: Who is Serena Williams?
A: Serena Williams is a retired American tennis champion who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era, and founded the venture capital firm Serena Ventures.
Q: When did Serena Williams retire?
A: Her last professional match was at the 2022 US Open in September 2022.
Q: What is their net worth?
A: Figures online vary and are third-party estimates, so no single verified number is given here.
Conclusion
Richard Liu and Serena Williams are two accomplished founders from different industries, and nothing in the reliable sources I found connects them directly. If you see a claim of a partnership, sponsorship or friendship, treat it as unverified unless a named, credible source backs it. This article reflects sources checked in November 2026 and will be updated if credible reporting shows a documented link.
