Upwork: How Two Rivals Became the World’s Largest Freelance Platform

The story of Upwork begins with two separate companies that were each other’s main competitors for years.

The first, Elance, was founded in 1999, when the word “freelance” was barely associated with the internet. The second, oDesk, was created in 2003 and stood out by allowing clients to track the hours a remote worker actually spent, which solved the biggest problem in remote work: trust.

For years, the two companies fought over the same clients and the same freelancers, until in 2013 they decided they would be stronger together than apart. After the merger, the new platform was named Upwork in 2015, and in 2018 the company went public.

Today, Upwork brings together clients and professionals from all over the world: developers, designers, marketers, video editors, and Shopify specialists. For Armenian freelancers, this is a real opportunity to work with American, European, and other international clients without leaving Yerevan.

The key to success here is not only professional skill, but also a well-crafted profile, a strong portfolio, and the ability to communicate with clients.