Upwork
Online freelance / contractor marketplace. On May 7, 2026, CEO Hayden Brown announced layoffs of approximately 24% of the workforce (~145 jobs) alongside…
Online Work / Freelance Marketplace · Labor Ai Displacement
Online freelance / contractor marketplace. On May 7, 2026, CEO Hayden Brown announced layoffs of approximately 24% of the workforce (~145 jobs) alongside Q1 2026 earnings, with stock falling ~19% on the news. AI-restructuring framing: "smaller, differently resourced teams in product and engineering can make a bigger impact than ever." A particularly resonant entry in the May 7 named-CEO AI-cited cut cohort because Upwork's *core business* is matching humans to remote contract work — the company is now telling its own workforce that the same productivity arithmetic applies internally.
Recent moves
- 2026-05-07 — ~24% / ~145-job AI-cited cut announced alongside Q1 2026 earnings; CEO memo published to upwork.com/press; stock fell ~19%.
Key people
- Hayden Brown — CEO, signed the May 7, 2026 internal memo.
Related
First seen: 2026-05-09 · Last seen: 2026-05-24 · 3 mentions