Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q3 revenues were $201 million, growing 9% year-over-year, exceeding the high end of guidance [5][34] - Non-GAAP operating income was $16.3 million, representing an 8% operating margin, also exceeding guidance [5][37] - Cash flow was strong at $13.4 million, or 7% on a margin basis [7][38] - Overall net revenue retention (NRR) was 96%, with core customer NRR at 97% [7][35] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenues from core customers (spending $5,000 or more annually) grew 10% year-over-year, representing 76% of total revenues [34] - The number of customers spending $100,000 or more annually grew 15% year-over-year [34] - AI Studio showed solid growth in sequential bookings, indicating early traction with self-serve users [7][14] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - International revenue grew 12% year-over-year, while the US market grew 7% year-over-year [25] - Significant expansions occurred in the healthcare sector, with major clients increasing their seat counts and spending [19][20] - The financial services and public sector also saw meaningful wins, indicating strong market demand [26][28] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on AI transformation, emphasizing the integration of AI into workflows to enhance productivity [5][10] - Asana aims to lead in the agentic enterprise space, providing context, checkpoints, and controls for AI applications [12][60] - The strategy includes a shift towards multi-product offerings, enhancing customer retention and expansion opportunities [36][41] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the stabilization of the tech vertical, noting improvements in retention and expansion [48][49] - The company anticipates continued growth driven by AI Studio and AI Teammates, which are expected to unlock new revenue streams [41][76] - Management highlighted the importance of disciplined growth and capital allocation, with a focus on maintaining high gross margins [37][39] Other Important Information - Anne Raimondi, COO, announced her departure after seven years, with leadership restructuring to enhance alignment across product and go-to-market strategies [22][23] - The company repurchased $30.8 million of its Class A common stock during the quarter [39] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on AI Studio's self-serve launch and its impact on renewals - Management noted wide adoption of AI Studio, which democratizes access and aids in renewal conversations by providing more strategic offerings [43][45] Question: Confidence in the tech vertical's stabilization amid layoffs - Management indicated that once tech customers downgrade, they tend not to do so again, and several large tech customers expanded during renewals [48][49] Question: Clarification on Q4 guidance changes - Management highlighted strong enterprise demand, improved NRR, and continued momentum with AI Studio as key factors for raising guidance [52][54] Question: Asana's competitive position in the AI space - Management emphasized that Asana's AI platform provides context and governance, differentiating it from other solutions that lack these features [57][60] Question: Status of the partner ecosystem and its growth potential - Management expressed excitement about the channel ecosystem, viewing it as an early-stage opportunity for growth and collaboration [64][66] Question: Further optimization of costs and margin expansion potential - Management acknowledged that there is still room for margin improvement while balancing reinvestments in the AI platform [70][71] Question: Retention rates and revenue growth dynamics - Management confirmed that improvements in retention were due to lower churn and investments in multi-product strategies, which are expected to drive future growth [73][75]

Major new technologies have always changed how people work—and artificial intelligence may be the most powerful yet. Many worry this means mass job losses. Our research suggests something more nuanced—and ultimately more hopeful. AI, in its current form, works best in collaboration with people, not in place of them. Making that collaboration succeed—and ensuring people thrive—will require rethinking how organizations develop and use skills, from frontline employees to top executives.New McKinsey Global Ins ...

Core Insights - Upwork Inc. has introduced the Human+Agent Productivity Index (HAPI), which evaluates how human expertise enhances AI agent performance in real knowledge work [1][4] - The index is based on over 300 real client projects, focusing on simple, low-complexity tasks where AI agents can succeed [2][3] - The collaboration between humans and AI agents has been shown to increase project completion rates by up to 70% compared to AI agents working alone [2][4] Company Overview - Upwork Inc. connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across various contingent work types, including freelance and payrolled work [5] - The company has facilitated over $30 billion in total transactions since its inception, aiming to create opportunities in every work era [6] - Upwork's portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace and Lifted, which provide solutions for sourcing, contracting, managing, and paying talent [5][6]

Core Insights - Calix, Inc. has announced the launch of the Calix Agent Workforce on its next-generation Broadband Platform, aimed at transforming core business functions for broadband service providers [1] - The Calix Cloud will integrate an agentic workforce to facilitate secure and trusted human-AI collaboration, thereby revolutionizing workflows for broadband service providers [1] Summary by Categories Business Functions - The Calix Agent Workforce will enhance key business functions including marketing, customer service, subscriber communications, operations, and field technicians [1] Technology Integration - The integration of the Calix Cloud with the agentic workforce is designed to support advanced collaboration between humans and AI, improving operational efficiency for broadband service providers [1]

Core Insights - 58% of businesses will prioritize AI proficiency and understanding when hiring freelancers in the next three months [1] - The freelance economy generates an estimated $1.5 trillion in annual earnings, highlighting its significance in the U.S. labor market [1][11] - Companies are increasingly hiring for uniquely human skills to ensure AI investments yield quality outcomes and business value [2][9] Hiring Trends - Demand for translation and localization services grew by 29% as businesses seek human oversight to address AI "workslop" [3][6] - Digital marketing contracts increased by 9% as companies adapt their strategies in the age of AI and generative search [4][6] - Project management roles among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) surged by 102% as firms prepare for annual planning [5][6] Skills Demand - The top 10 most in-demand AI-related skills include virtual assistance, content writing, and video editing, indicating a shift towards leveraging AI to enhance human roles rather than replace them [9][15] - Quality assurance testing grew by 9%, reflecting the need for human involvement in validating AI outputs [6] - 39% of businesses cite a lack of trust in AI's accuracy as a barrier to implementing AI solutions [6] Future Outlook - 53% of businesses anticipate hiring freelance digital marketers in the next three months, indicating a strong demand for marketing expertise [6] - 35% of businesses expect to hire freelance project managers, further emphasizing the growing importance of project management in an AI-enabled economy [6][7]

Core Insights - Upwork has announced its Summer 2025 release, introducing over 75 new AI-driven innovations aimed at enhancing work outcomes and creating opportunities for businesses and freelancers in the AI era [1][5]. AI Innovations - The release features significant advancements to Uma, Upwork's Mindful AI, which is evolving into a more capable work agent, currently powering a majority of new client job posts and increasing successful matches for high-value projects by 8% [6]. - Instant interviews are a key feature, allowing clients to equip Uma with preferred interview questions, streamlining the hiring process and providing structured summaries of freelancer responses [7][13]. - Upwork video meetings are integrated into the messaging platform, offering AI-generated summaries, transcripts, and action items to enhance productivity and collaboration [12][14]. Enhanced Membership Plans - Upwork is enhancing its premium membership plans, Business Plus and Freelancer Plus, to provide faster hiring, smarter tools, and greater confidence in executing work [8]. - Business Plus now includes direct contracts, enabling businesses to manage and pay talent sourced beyond the Upwork platform seamlessly [14]. Economic Impact - Upwork's platform has facilitated over $25 billion in economic opportunities for talent globally, showcasing its significant role in the freelance economy [11].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the evolving role of AI in the workplace, emphasizing that employees prefer AI to handle repetitive, low-value tasks rather than creative or judgment-based responsibilities [5][8][29]. Group 1: AI in the Workplace - A significant portion of the workforce is already utilizing AI for various tasks, with 36% of jobs seeing AI involvement in at least 25% of daily tasks [4]. - The Stanford study reveals that employees wish for AI to take over mundane tasks such as scheduling, data entry, and document organization, rather than content generation or creative design [8][10]. - Over 46% of evaluated tasks were rated highly by workers as tasks they would prefer AI to handle, particularly those that are repetitive and low-value [10][11]. Group 2: Task Classification and AI Capability - The research categorized tasks into five types based on human involvement and AI capability, highlighting a preference for human-AI collaboration rather than complete AI takeover [10][19]. - The study identified a mismatch between the tasks employees want AI to handle and the tasks AI companies are focusing on, indicating a potential misalignment in AI development priorities [16][18]. Group 3: Changing Skill Requirements - The article notes a shift in the value of skills, with traditional high-paying skills becoming more automated, while interpersonal and management skills are becoming increasingly valuable and irreplaceable [21][23]. - The demand for skills such as judgment, empathy, and cross-team communication is rising, as these are areas where AI is currently limited [27]. Group 4: Future of Human-AI Collaboration - The ideal AI is described as one that understands when to assist and when to step back, focusing on enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing them [30][32]. - The article concludes that the true value of AI lies in its ability to free up human cognitive resources for more meaningful tasks, thus redefining the human role in the workplace [31][32].

Group 1 - The core idea of the articles revolves around the increasing integration of AI in the workplace, where employees prefer AI to handle repetitive and low-value tasks rather than creative or judgment-based responsibilities [1][3][20] - A significant study by Stanford University indicates that employees are more inclined to delegate mundane tasks to AI, such as scheduling appointments and data entry, rather than content generation or coding [3][5][6] - The research framework WORKBank was developed to assess over 2,000 specific tasks, revealing that more than 46% of evaluated tasks received high scores for AI delegation, particularly those that are repetitive and prone to errors [5][9] Group 2 - The top five tasks that employees wish AI to take over include scheduling client appointments, organizing emergency files, correcting payroll records, data formatting and import, and website data backup, all characterized by high standardization and low judgment intensity [6][9] - The study highlights a mismatch between AI capabilities and employee desires, with many AI companies focusing on tasks that users are reluctant to delegate, leading to potential misallocation of resources [9][11] - The findings suggest a shift in workplace skills, where interpersonal and management skills become more valuable, while traditional information processing skills may decline in importance due to AI automation [14][19] Group 3 - The research indicates that the ideal role of AI in the workplace is not as a complete replacement but as a collaborative partner, allowing humans to retain decision-making and creative responsibilities [11][21] - Employees across various industries express a preference for AI to assist in low-value tasks while maintaining control over creative and judgment-based activities, reflecting a collective understanding of human value in the workplace [20][27] - The evolution of AI's role necessitates a reevaluation of what constitutes irreplaceable human skills, emphasizing the importance of judgment, coordination, and strategic thinking in the AI era [19][27]

AI Impact on Future Jobs - AI is projected to displace 300 million jobs globally, representing approximately one-third of the population in some countries [1] - Careers resistant to AI, such as those requiring strong communication skills, are expected to see a 33% increase in earnings [1] - By 2027, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), equivalent to 100,000 people working together, is expected to be released, followed by Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) by 2029 or 2030, equivalent to 1 million people [2] - Goldman Sachs estimates that 47% of the job market will be gone by the time current students graduate [4] - Approximately 25% of university and college graduates are currently unemployed, and this number is increasing [12] Adapting to the Age of AI - Individuals need to embrace AI collaboration and learn how to effectively use AI tools [2] - Developing a growth mindset and adaptability is crucial for leveraging AI to one's advantage [5][7] - Cross-pollinating skills, especially communication, is key to remaining relevant in the job market [9] - Focus on humanities, as AI lacks human qualities and cannot think like a human [10][11] Industry Examples - One company is now 40% run by AI in the tax and filing industry [1] - Some corporations are replacing 2 to 6 people every month with AI [1] - The trucking industry, which is essential for delivering goods, is at risk of being replaced by self-driving technology like Tesla and Wimo [2]