**Upwork is Public - IPO News

• October 3, 2018 we went public
• Upwork is now trading as a public stock on the Nasdaq (under the UPWK ticker)
• We could not have reached this milestone without inspiration and partnership from our community
• While this is a significant moment for our company, the Upwork experience will stay the same
• We remain committed to delivering a high quality service to help customers grow their businesses
• Customers can learn more about this news here
• We also have featured freelancers in a Times Square campaign that coincides with the event; freelancers can learn more here
• If user is one of the freelancers featured, we’ll add a video link to this post so they can find themselves in the campaign. The link will be available by October 4, 2018 at 9 am PT

What’s changing with this news?

Thanks for your question. The move from a private company to a public one will not change how Upwork operates. We will continue to help freelancers and clients connect, and view this as a way help fulfill our mission of creating more economic opportunities so people have better lives.

What does this change mean for Upwork clients and freelancers?

Thanks for your question. While nothing will change for freelancers and clients when it comes to using Upwork, the awareness that comes with going public will hopefully help more people know about Upwork to generate more opportunities. For freelancers, this increased visibility should help attract more clients. For clients, this should help attract more top talent.

Will this change how I use the Upwork platform?

Thanks for reaching out. No, this will not change how you use the Upwork.

What does going public mean?

Thanks for your question. Initial public offering (IPO) or “going public” means shares of a company are sold on an open market via a stock exchange. Upwork is now trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol, UPWK.

Why did Upwork go public?

Thanks for reaching out. Going public enables us to raise money to better fulfill our core mission of creating more economic opportunities so people live better lives. We are thankful for our customers who make Upwork a great place for both clients and freelancers - we couldn’t do it without you!

Are you changing pricing?

Thanks for reaching out. We are not considering any pricing or fee changes at this time.

I opted in to have my profile picture used in an ad campaign. Was I featured?

Thanks for reaching out and for providing us with permission to use your image. You can find details on the ad campaign currently running in Times Square here. We’ll email freelancers that were featured a link to find themselves in a video by October 5, 2018. We received an overwhelming amount of responses and were not able to include a majority of the freelancers that granted permission due to limited space. But we'll do our best to feature you in future campaigns.

What are you going to use the money for?

Thanks for reaching out. We will use the funds raised in the initial public offering (IPO) to continue to invest in the business and fulfill our mission of creating more economic opportunity so people have better lives.

I want to buy stock in Upwork. How can I?

Thanks for reaching out. Upwork stock is available for purchase via the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol, UPWK.

You just had a site outage! You’re not ready for IPO!

We are committed to providing a consistent and stable platform. In fact, during the past few months we’ve been upgrading our infrastructure to better ensure site outages do not occur. You can find more details about what we’re doing here. We will continue to make site stability a priority.

You’re greedy, that’s why you’re doing this! How’s this going to benefit me, afterall I pay you a lot of fees!

Thanks for reaching out. The success of Upwork has always been dependent on the success of our customers. So as we take the exciting step of becoming a public company, we want to thank all of you. You have helped us grow and have made us better. It is because of you we seek to fulfill our vision -- creating a world where people can work without limits.