零工经济先驱Upwork将上市-Gig economy pioneer Upwork set to go public文/Rachel Ranosa
文章导读:
Upwork,以前称Elance-oDesk,是一个全球自由职业者平台,企业和自由职业者人士可以远程连接和协作。 2015年,Elance-oDesk更名为Upwork。它位于加州山景城和旧金山。 全名是Upwork Global Inc.
全球自由职业市场Upwork正准备上市,预计将是2018年下半年的“大型IPO”。
据Recode报道,Upwork秘密提交了上市文件,曾考虑估值10亿美元。
Upwork收费方式:1、自由职业者接活佣金
2、客户发活佣金
Upwork用户数量:1600万自由职业者。
Upwork预计将成为2018规模最大的IPO之一,原因:
美国自由职业者的增长
Upwork和自由职业者联盟的一份2017年报告估计,超过5700万(36%)的美国人,通过自由工作向美国经济贡献了1万亿美元。
研究表明,到2027年,当大多数美国人成为自由职业者时,就业模式转变将会加速。
Upwork首席执行官斯特凡•卡斯里尔(Stephane Kasriel)表示:我们正处于第四次工业革命时期,工作发生变化,自由职业者将扮演更加的重要角色。
英文原文:
Upwork, the global marketplace for freelance jobs, is preparing to go public in what observers anticipate to be the ‘marquee IPO’ of the last half of 2018.
A pioneer in the online gig economy, Upwork confidentially filed papers for its stock market debut, Recode reported. The company initially welcomed the idea of a billion-dollar valuation despite financial setbacks and a price restructuring that allegedly drew flak from freelancers.
If all goes according to plan this year, however, the group is set to be the latest in a string of high-profile, high-value tech companies floating on the stock market.
Upwork is the byproduct of two other freelance jobs portals, oDesk and Elance, which merged in 2015. Freelancers earn from one-off projects posted on the site. The company snips off a percentage from the gig worker’s income while also charging job posters a transaction fee.
While details of the IPO are yet to be disclosed, industry observers such as Bill Murphy of Inc. believe it is “virtually certain some people are going to clean up” and cash in on the stock market launch. At present, Upwork reportedly hosts US$1bn worth of gigs on a platform said to be used by 16 million freelancers.
Part of the reason Upwork is expected to be one of the year’s biggest IPOs is the growth of the freelance workforce in the US. A 2017 report from Upwork and Freelancers Union estimates more than 57 million (36%) Americans are contributing US$1tn to the economy through independent work.
The shift to alternative modes of employment, such as gigs and other independent work, is expected to accelerate by 2027 when a majority of Americans will have become freelancers, the study suggested.
“We are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution – a period of rapid change in work driven by increasing automation,” said Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork. “But we have a unique opportunity to guide the future of work and freelancers will play more of a key role than people realize.”