UPWORK, INC
Upwork Inc. (formerly Elance-oDesk) is an American freelancing platform headquartered in Palo Alto and San Francisco, California. The company was formed in 2013 as Elance-oDesk after the merger of Elance Inc. and oDesk Corp. The merged company was subsequently rebranded as Upwork in 2015. Upwork went public in 2018. Changes to its fees and account policies have repeatedly drawn protests from freelancers, and after a prolonged decline in its share price the company became the target of an activist investor campaign in 2024 and carried out large workforce reductions in 2024 and 2026.
Basic company information
Each field links to its source. Financial figures retain their reporting periods; background references are identified in the source list.
- Business sectors
- computing platform; online marketplace [1]
- Company / filing name
- UPWORK, INC [2]
- Headquarters location
- Palo Alto [1]
- Founded
- 2015 [1]
- Legal form
- public company [1]
- Leadership in background record
- Hayden Brown [1]
- Official website
- https://www.upwork.com/; http://upwork.com [1]
- Employees
- 630 · reported year 2024 [1]
- ISIN (reported securities)
- US91688F1049 [1]
- CIK
- 1627475 [2]
- Country in background record
- United States [1]
- Symbols / exchanges
- UPWK (Nasdaq) [2]
Company positioning and business
Upwork Inc. (formerly Elance-oDesk) is an American freelancing platform headquartered in Palo Alto and San Francisco, California. The company was formed in 2013 as Elance-oDesk after the merger of Elance Inc. and oDesk Corp. The merged company was subsequently rebranded as Upwork in 2015. Upwork went public in 2018. Changes to its fees and account policies have repeatedly drawn protests from freelancers, and after a prolonged decline in its share price the company became the target of an activist investor campaign in 2024 and carried out large workforce reductions in 2024 and 2026. [3]
Background text: Wikipedia contributors, Upwork. Selected introductory paragraphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official filing data is cited separately.
Management and corporate governance
The Wikidata background record identifies Hayden Brown in the chief-executive role. This background entry is not an official confirmation of the current board or executive roster. [1]
Understanding company scale
Employees: 630 · reported year 2024. [1]
Financial year, securities and disclosures
Listed securities: UPWK (Nasdaq). Multiple symbols may represent different share classes or securities of the same registrant. [2]
History and key events
Founding / inception date recorded in Wikidata. [1]
Financial results and regulatory disclosures
No individual financial documents have been indexed yet. Open the source to consult company disclosures. [2]
Related entities and concepts
Frequently asked questions
When was UPWORK, INC founded?
Founded: 2015. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Where is the headquarters of UPWORK, INC?
Headquarters location: Palo Alto. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Which business sectors are recorded for UPWORK, INC?
Business sectors: computing platform; online marketplace. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Sources and review dates
- Wikidata — company background record (CC0) ↗
- Company identity and profile data ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Upwork (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Financial periods and historical event dates are shown separately. Figures reflect their stated source dates; this page is not a live quote or investment recommendation.