Third $100M share repurchase authorization announced since November 2023PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced that its board of directors approved an additional $100 million share repurchase program. “Upwork’s financial results continue to exceed expectations, giving us another opportunity to utilize our balance sheet to increase shareholder value,” said Hayden Brown, president and CEO, Upwork. “Ou ...

Inaugural monthly analysis of the freelance economy provides an early signal of U.S. labor market shifts, revealing how businesses are engaging flexible talent August analysis shows demand for human-centric skills like fact-checking and video editing is on the rise PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced a new monthly analysis of hiring trends in the freelance economy, revealing demand for the specif ...

Group 1 - Investors are aggressively pricing in the threat of Artificial Intelligence for companies like Upwork (UPWK) and Fiverr (FVRR), which are leading in the gig hiring market [1] - Observing megatrends can yield insights into the advancement of human society and potential investment opportunities [1] - The importance of fundamentals, quality of leadership, and product pipeline is emphasized for uncovering investment opportunities [1] Group 2 - The focus has been on marketing and business strategy for medium-sized companies and startups, with experience in evaluating startups and emerging industries/technologies [1]

About Upwork Inc. Upwork Inc. is the parent company of the Upwork Marketplace and Lifted, its enterprise-focused subsidiary. Through its family of businesses, Upwork Inc. connects companies with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work model. Lifted, an Upwork company, pioneers offering to help enterprises source, contract, manage, and pay global contingent talent compliantly and at scale PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world's human and AI- ...

Executive Leadership Changes - Upwork has appointed Anthony Kappus as its first chief operating officer (COO), effective September 2, 2025, to lead various operational teams [1][2] - Andrew Rabinovich has expanded his role to chief technology officer (CTO), overseeing engineering, IT, and AI initiatives [1][3] - Jacob McQuown has been promoted to chief legal officer (CLO), focusing on legal, compliance, and policy programs [1][4] Strategic Vision and Growth - The leadership team is expected to drive excellence across Upwork's operations, enhancing the company's position in the human and AI-powered work marketplace [2] - Kappus brings over a decade of operational expertise from Redfin, where he led digital revenue and corporate development [2] - Rabinovich's leadership in AI and machine learning is pivotal as Upwork evolves into an AI-native platform, contributing to significant growth [3][4] AI Integration and Economic Impact - Upwork's AI initiatives, particularly the development of Uma™, have led to an increase of over $80 million in gross services volume (GSV) in 2025 [3] - The company has facilitated more than $25 billion in economic opportunity for talent globally, showcasing its impact on the workforce [6]

Core Insights - Upwork (UPWK) shares increased by 10.2% following the release of its second-quarter 2025 results, driven by better-than-expected performance and strong guidance for 2025 [1][10] Financial Performance - In Q2 2025, Upwork reported non-GAAP earnings of $0.35 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 34.62% and reflecting a 35% year-over-year increase [1][10] - Revenues for Q2 2025 reached $195 million, a 0.9% year-over-year growth, surpassing the consensus estimate by 4.58% [1][10] - For the full year 2025, Upwork anticipates revenues between $765 million and $775 million, with adjusted EBITDA expected between $206 million and $214 million [2][10] - The adjusted EBITDA margin target for 2025 is set at 35% [2] Client and Revenue Breakdown - Marketplace revenues, which constitute 87.5% of total revenues, grew by 2.3% year-over-year to $170.7 million, while enterprise revenues (12.5% of revenues) declined by 7.8% to $24.3 million [5] - Active clients reached 796,000, with Gross Services Volume (GSV) per client increasing by 5% year-over-year to $5,002 [6] - GSV from AI-related work grew by 30% year-over-year, with the Prompt Engineering subcategory seeing a significant 51% increase [6][10] Operational Efficiency - The non-GAAP gross margin for Q2 2025 expanded by 30 basis points to 77.8% [9] - Operating expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased by 740 basis points year-over-year to 50.7% [9] - The adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 810 basis points year-over-year to 29.3% [11] Balance Sheet and Cash Flow - As of June 30, 2025, Upwork had cash and cash equivalents totaling $635 million, with long-term debt at $359 million [12] - Cash provided by operating activities was $72.5 million, and free cash flow reached $65.6 million [12] Future Guidance - For Q3 2025, Upwork expects revenues between $190 million and $195 million, with earnings projected between $0.28 and $0.30 per share [14]

Core Insights - Upwork is expanding its services beyond freelancers by acquiring Bubty and planning to acquire Ascen, aiming to provide a comprehensive solution for managing various workforce models [2][3][5] Group 1: Acquisitions and Strategy - The acquisition of Bubty will help Upwork manage a range of workforce models, including independent contractors and contingent W-2 workers [2] - Ascen is expected to enhance Upwork's capabilities with its digitally native solutions and easy-to-integrate APIs for contingent W-2 workers [2][3] - Upwork's President and CEO, Hayden Brown, emphasized the need for a singular solution that balances flexibility, compliance, speed, and scale for enterprise customers [5][6] Group 2: Market Demand and Performance - There is a growing demand from enterprise customers for access to diverse talent pools, which Upwork aims to fulfill with its new acquisitions [4] - Upwork has reported record revenue for 2024, partly driven by AI innovations and the connection to AI talent on its platform [7] - The gross services volume (GSV) from AI-related work grew by 30% year over year during the quarter, up from 25% in the same quarter last year, indicating a strong market trend towards AI expertise [8]

Jane, shares of Upwork up about 11% right now on strong second quarter earnings and a fullyear revenue guidance raise. Upwork attributing the performance to AI and recent M&A activity. So joining me now is Hayden Brown, CEO of Upwork.Hayden, it's great to have you on and let's start right there. Beaten race quarter, what drove it. We had two big highlights this quarter, Morgan.One was our AI strategies across the website which are really working. This is where we implement AI solutions for our customers, ma ...

Upwork (UPWK) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.26 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.26 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non- recurring items. What's Next for Upwork? This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +34.62%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this online freelance marketplace operator would post earnings of $0.25 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.34, delivering a surprise of ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Upwork reported record Q2 revenue of $194.9 million, a significant increase driven by AI enhancements and client hiring in AI-related work [5][19] - Net income reached $32.7 million, marking a 47% increase year-over-year, and adjusted EBITDA was $57.1 million, resulting in a 29.3% adjusted EBITDA margin [5][26] - The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $765 million to $775 million, reflecting strong marketplace performance [27][28] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Business Plus segment saw a 190% quarter-over-quarter increase in GSV, with active clients growing by 45% [11][54] - Revenue from ads and monetization grew 17% year-over-year, with Connects revenue increasing by 19% and Freelancer Plus subscription revenue by 13% [12][25] - Average GSV per active client rose 5% year-over-year, surpassing $5,000 for the first time since 2022 [20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - GSV from AI-related work accelerated to 30% year-over-year growth, up from 25% in the first quarter [9][10] - The number of clients posting AI jobs grew by 38% year-over-year, indicating strong demand for AI services [10] - GSV from prompt engineering grew 51% year-over-year in Q2, showcasing the increasing reliance on AI tools across various categories [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on a three-pronged strategy centered on AI, ads and monetization, and enterprise solutions, which is expected to drive GSV growth [18][30] - Two strategic acquisitions were announced to enhance enterprise capabilities, aiming to capture a larger share of the $650 billion contingent workforce market [13][15] - The integration of AI into operations is expected to improve internal efficiency and margin profiles, with over 35% of deployed code now AI-generated [17][29] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged the unpredictable macro environment but expressed confidence in the company's initiatives to offset pressures [40] - The company anticipates continued growth in GSV and revenue, particularly from AI-related work and the newly formed enterprise subsidiary [19][24] - The outlook for 2026 is optimistic, driven by multiple growth catalysts and the expected contributions from recent acquisitions [28][30] Other Important Information - Free cash flow for Q2 was $65.6 million, with $38 million used for share buybacks [26] - Non-GAAP gross margin reached 77.8%, reflecting disciplined cost management [25] - The company expects stock-based compensation to be between $60 million and $65 million for the year, indicating efforts to reduce expenses [29] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you discuss the acquisitions and their integration into Upwork? - Management explained that the acquisitions will enhance Upwork's ability to serve enterprise clients with a comprehensive solution, addressing various contingent work needs [33][34] - The expected revenue contribution from these acquisitions is minor in 2025 but will grow significantly in 2026 [36] Question: How is the macro environment impacting the business? - Management noted that the macro environment remains unpredictable, but the company has successfully offset pressures through AI enablement and strategic initiatives [40] Question: What contributed to the take rate expansion this quarter? - The take rate increased by 50 basis points year-over-year, driven by supply and demand experimentation and growth in monetization products [45][46] Question: How are new customers using the platform? - Business Plus clients are converting faster and spending more than typical marketplace clients, indicating strong demand for the offering [54][55] Question: What is the distinction between the marketplace and enterprise business? - The marketplace serves smaller clients, while the enterprise business targets larger clients with complex needs, supported by the new acquisitions [60][62]