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majd-mardene
Community Member

1.8 million gig workers were purged from Upwork - here's why

Today, I am going to share one blog with all freelancers.
This blog is from 
**Edited for Community Guidelines**

_________________________________________________________________________________________

On February 2, Upwork (**Edited for Community Guidelines**) listed 2,614,107 registered users. By March 13, that number nosedived to just 833,042, a bizarre and alarming drop of 1.8 million — or 68% of its user count.

 

The abrupt drop came just as the company was reporting its fourth-quarter results when it surprised investors with a 16.67% jump in earnings at $80.29 million. 

So what happened? Part of the shift may be attributed to Upwork's new CEO, Hayden Brown, who emphasized that the company is targeting Fortune 500 companies as opposed to smaller, one-off companies just looking for a quick gig worker. At the earnings call, she spoke of a "skill gap" between what companies were looking for on a platform like Upwork and what they were getting.

"Our goal is to become the world’s top provider of flexible talent solutions by attracting the best clients, with the best work opportunities, for the world’s best talent," she told investors.

It seems that as part of the process, the company has thinned its talent pool from 2.6 million available workers who may or may not deliver good work to just 833,000 who are more likely to please more lucrative clients. Indeed, the site had been seeing a growing number of workers along with a scarcity of jobs, and it wasn't a good look for a service that promised quick matches and quality work.

Brown pointed to three goals for 2020:  1. Attract more, bigger clients; 2. Enable more spend per client; 3. Make more high-quality matches, particularly in Upwork's technical categories of Web, Mobile, and Software Development.

In other words, Upwork is less interested in millions of projects for millions of workers. Rather, it'd prefer higher-paying clients going out to fewer workers who are certain to make said clients happy. Thin the herd, as they say. It makes sense, too: the number of projects at the site had been in a steep decline for months before Brown took the wheel.

In order to do so, the company is looking for larger companies that will hire from a smaller pool of skilled workers. Brown also pointed to Upwork's talent pool's high project feedback ratings.

And what's a super-easy way to up your talent pool's feedback ratings? Purge the ones with poor ratings.

About the Data:

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

"First of all I question where they got the data from and how"

Thinknum Media is reliable or not? I think yes. This site only provides true data.

It seems you don't know about Thinknum Media. Smiley LOL

 

"I don't see a sharp increase in people screaming they've been suspended."

Do I need to send you all the links where the people are talking about the suspension?

Also, it seems you don't know how to research. You are a real creative translator - you work without googling.

 

I don't want to talk with you since you don't know the truth.

I wish you will not reply anymore.

View solution in original post

36 REPLIES 36
majd-mardene
Community Member

So I think Upwork has no idea about freelancers.

They only try to give benefits to clients, but not for freelancers.

 

And also I have one question.

So 1.8 million freelancers violated Terms of Service?

I think no. Maybe most of them didn't violate. They were suspended without any reason.

And also what I can guess is, my account will be suspended soon.

 

Upwork can suspend my account because of this blog. Smiley Very Happy
But I don't worry about that. I captured this as video, and if something is wrong with my account, I am ready to post the videos on Youtube or other platforms.

lysis10
Community Member

This was covered on reddit, and the stereotypical current year "journalist" who pretended to be on the call kept calling the CEO a "he." That's current year journalism for you. We poked plenty of holes in this loser's story.

I read it and it sucks and the current year "journalist" should probably feel bad about being so bad.


Jennifer M wrote:

I read it and it sucks and the current year "journalist" should probably feel bad about being so bad.

 

  


Have you ever had any pleasant thoughts or said anything pleasant to anyone?

petra_r
Community Member


Majd M wrote:

Re: 1.8 million gig workers were purged from Upwork


I suspect they just set 1.8 Million long term inactive profiles to private so they no longer appear in searches.

Even if it was accurate, which it probably isn't, they should have purged way more. Still way too much dead wood.

 

Majd M wrote:

And also what I can guess is, my account will be suspended soon.


Why would you care? You don't work via Upwork, never have, so it makes no difference whether you have the account or not.

 

Screen Shot 2020-03-27 at 18.27.47.png

It's Upwork Registered Users Count, not Active Users Count.

Petra R wrote:

"I suspect they just set 1.8 Million long term inactive profiles to private so they no longer appear in searches.

Even if it was accurate, which it probably isn't, they should have purged way more. Still way too much dead wood."

 

You said that because you are a translator, not a developer.

So you mean it took around one month to set 1.8 Million long term inactive profiles to private?

If they wanted to make those private, it could be done within an hour by using database queries or codes, not over a month. 1.8 Million users were suspended. Even it's a large amount, sorry, we should trust it.

You are a creative translator, so what you said is a creative thing? Or based on something?


undefined:

Screen Shot 2020-03-27 at 18.27.47.png

It's Upwork Registered Users Count, not Active Users Count.

Petra R wrote:

1.8 Million users were suspended. Even it's a large amount, sorry, we should trust it.

You are a creative translator, so what you said is a creative thing? Or based on something?


First of all I question where they got the data from and how.  Anyone can squiggle a graph and make a claim. There is no source, no evidence, just a wild claim.

 

I am basing my position on evidence and experience. Last time Upwork "purged" a significant number of users (A mere fraction of what is being reported here) a few years ago those people were blowing up the forums and the Internet. I don't see a sharp increase in people screaming they've been suspended. 

 

Upwork losing a significant number of non- or under-performing (idle, abandoned, low performance, poor contract outcomes) profiles would be a good thing anyway.

"First of all I question where they got the data from and how"

Thinknum Media is reliable or not? I think yes. This site only provides true data.

It seems you don't know about Thinknum Media. Smiley LOL

 

"I don't see a sharp increase in people screaming they've been suspended."

Do I need to send you all the links where the people are talking about the suspension?

Also, it seems you don't know how to research. You are a real creative translator - you work without googling.

 

I don't want to talk with you since you don't know the truth.

I wish you will not reply anymore.


Majd M wrote:

 

"I don't see a sharp increase in people screaming they've been suspended."

Do I need to send you all the links where the people are talking about the suspension?

Those have always happened. There hasn't been a sharp increase to indicate that 1,8 Million people were suspended over a month.

 


Majd M wrote:

... you work without googling.


Actually, I spent years managing a large team of people handling, assessing and evaluating data. I do know how to google. I know that data without sources is useless. Utterly useless in fact. Data without sources is simply opinion. Opinion does not equal fact. You are entitled to your opinion, but not to alternative facts.

 

I also keep an open mind, just not so open that the brain falls out.

 

And again: IF Upwork would or has cut a few MIllion of dead-wood freelancers, that would be a step in the right direction, and not anywhere near enough. 

 

The same "journalist" also claimed in October last year that available jobs on Upwork had crashed by 31% that month, and a quick check showed that it was completely made up. (The number of currently open jobs can be found with 2 mouse-clicks...)

 

He also predicted that the gig economy "is crashing" - today Upwork has close to twice the number of open jobs compared to what he claimed it had crashed to in October (it hadn't, of course)

 

As of today, even with the Pandemic, Upwork also has over 20% more posted jobs than the number that "journalist" claimed was the high point in October last year. So much for sensational claims of "The Gig Economy Is Crashing"

 

So when someone makes wild claims which can be debunked with 2 mouseclicks, I am not any more inclined to believe equally wild claims with no sources a quarter later.

 

 

 

"I don't want to talk with you since you don't know the truth.

I wish you will not reply anymore." This is what I wrote.

And you replied again because you don't know English?

I just knew why you got "No feedback given" from 25 projects.

 

Note:

"IF Upwork would or has cut a few MIllion of dead-wood freelancers, that would be a step in the right direction, and not anywhere near enough." - let me post what you said on the other platforms with "Petra R said".


Majd M wrote:

"I don't want to talk with you since you don't know the truth.

I wish you will not reply anymore." This is what I wrote.


This is a public forum. 

 


Majd M wrote:

I just knew why you got "No feedback given" from 25 projects..


So? less than 10%. Pretty obsessed with my profile, aren't you?

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**


Please take a look.


Majd M wrote:


Please take a look.


I've seen it before. This 2017 whine has what to do with a claim of 1.8 million suspended accounts in 2020?

It's associated with you.


Majd M wrote:

**Edited for Community Guidelines**


Please take a look.


*NEWSFLASH*

Upwork does not work for everybody. Many of those that it does not work for choose to blame Upwork rather than addressing their own shortcomings. 

But 1.8 million > 0.8 million

And all of what I am doing is not to blame Upwork.

I also want to help making Upwork a better site.


Majd M wrote:

And all of what I am doing is not to blame Upwork.

I also want to help making Upwork a better site.


_____________________________

If you want to make it a better site, then stop ranting and start listening to people who have considerably more life and (Up)work experience than you. 

 

You should also be aware that the Upwork forum is public and any client seeing your unsubstantiated claims might hesitate before hiring your services. 


Majd M wrote:

But 1.8 million > 0.8 million


According to an as yet unverified source. If I had the time and/or inclination, I could make a graph showing the opposite to be true. 

Regardless, I am also with Petra that that would be a good thing anyway. If it were true. 


Jamie F wrote:


*NEWSFLASH*

Upwork does not work for everybody. Many of those that it does not work for choose to blame Upwork rather than addressing their own shortcomings. 


I wish that this post could be pinned at the top of the forum!


Majd M wrote:

 

I don't want to talk with you since you don't know the truth.

I wish you will not reply anymore.


Majd, what is truth? You sound like a **Edited for Community Guidelines** guru!

 

If you want to know the "truth" about Upwork, Petra is the person to contact, she's extremely knowledgeable, at least much more than you are, as you haven't worked for anyone on Upwork yet.

 

I consider her as "the queen of Upwork", so if there's any truth to be known, just ask her about it!

 

I disappointed.

Nothing to hear from here...

I analyzed data about Upwork for 10 months.

And all of you don't know about truth, because you aren't suspended yet.

And also you will be not in the future as you are on the side with Upwork.

When I search about Upwork on google, why there are so many posts say Upwork is not good.


Majd M wrote:

When I search about Upwork on google, why there are so many posts say Upwork is not good.


That's easy. Take a look at any random forum post from someone who says that they're having trouble getting work here, then look up their profile; you'll see that this website is filled with people who have little to offer and no idea how to run a business. And that's not even getting into the numerous freelancers who lie about their skills and have nothing but stolen work in their portfolios. It's no wonder they don't succeed, and then they blame Upwork.

 

Anyway, what is the point of this thread? Why are you analysing data about Upwork? And even if what you say is true, do you think that any of us will be upset if we have less competition? Upwork SHOULD do a good clean-out of all the fakes and wannabes, since it would improve their bottom line and be good for both freelancers and clients alike. 

Smiley Sad


Christine wrote:

Anyway, what is the point of this thread? Why are you analysing data about Upwork? 


That's what puzzles me, too.  A profile that's never worked on Upwork spending months "analying data" about a platform he's never used.

 

Christine also wrote:

Upwork SHOULD do a good clean-out of all the fakes and wannabes, since it would improve their bottom line and be good for both freelancers and clients alike. 

Fact: Upwork has too many freelancers.

Fact: The majority of profiles on the platform have never earned a single Dollar.

 

My fact based opinion: Getting rid of profiles that do not contribute anything at all, including the mass-produced identical fakes waiting for a buyer, is a good thing.

My fact based opinion: Getting rid of abandoned, fake, dishonest profiles is a good thing.

My fact based opinion: Getting rid of freelancers who consistently have poor outcomes would be a good thing.

Are you a member of Upwork or a freelancer on Upwork?

Upwork went public and they are straightening up their act. They do not want to be 5 er or 99 unoriginal designs. Seems like a pretty simple concept. Personally I don't even have time to decline all the invites I've gotten this year. My responds in 24 hrs streak died.

Petra R wrote:

Christine wrote:

Anyway, what is the point of this thread? Why are you analysing data about Upwork? 


That's what puzzles me, too.  A profile that's never worked on Upwork spending months "analying data" about a platform he's never used.

 


Just because there are no jobs showing on someone's profile, it doesn't mean that they haven't been using the platform, if you catch my drift. That might explain why someone would be so concerned about suspensions.

 


Christine A wrote:

Just because there are no jobs showing on someone's profile, it doesn't mean that they haven't been using the platform, if you catch my drift. That might explain why someone would be so concerned about suspensions.


Oh, I caught that long ago....

kbadeau
Community Member

I didn't. Duh. I'm kinda slow these days.

petra_r
Community Member


Kelly B wrote:

I didn't. Duh. I'm kinda slow these days.


Or just nice, trusting and innocent 😉

calvo_juan
Community Member

"Did you order the code red????"

I wonder if someone has been mentoring the OP? 

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

All, 

 

A few posts have been edited or removed from this thread for Community Guidelines and the thread has now been closed from further replies. 

~ Valeria
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