Adrian Sticea has been working with WordPress since 2013. His career spans in-house roles, agency work, enterprise projects at IBM, a stint at StellarWP, and years of freelancing. Recently a post he shared on LinkedIn — featuring a stark line graph showing his Upwork-sourced work falling from steady volume to nearly zero by 2026 — went viral and prompted a wider conversation about where WordPress work is going.
What happened to the Upwork pipeline
For long stretches of his career, Upwork was a primary lead source for Adrian. Some years it supplied nearly all his projects; in others it topped up part-time income. Over the last few years, however, the quantity and type of work he found there shifted dramatically. Basic website builds remain available, but the more complex, developer-focused projects — plugin development, legacy code maintenance, enterprise-level work — largely dried up.
Why this shift? A few overlapping trends
– AI acceleration: AI made developers more productive. Faster delivery and tooling lowered the amount of developer time required for many tasks, which in turn reduced demand for some freelance roles. That doesn’t mean clients always replace developers with AI, but AI has accelerated changes in hiring needs and expectations.
– Economic changes and layoffs: The tech sector saw waves of layoffs and budget tightening over the past few years. Combined with AI-driven efficiencies, that created a ‘‘perfect storm’’ that reduced hiring and freelancing opportunities.
– Market fragmentation and competition: New tools and platforms (Wix, Squarespace, modern page builders, JavaScript stacks) offer alternatives for site owners. For straightforward brochure sites, those competitors are often easier for clients to adopt. Meanwhile, clients seeking vetted, higher-trust developers increasingly turn to platforms or services with pre-vetting, like Toptal, Codeable, or staffing firms and temp agencies (Robert Half and similar recruiters). Those channels offer a different workflow than Upwork and often better match for enterprise-style work.
– Marketplace saturation and pricing pressure: As more people compete for the same gigs, pricing becomes more sensitive. Clients can be more conservative about spending, and the perceived value of experience can be undercut when less-experienced developers, assisted by AI, can deliver adequate results at lower cost.
The downside of relying on a single marketplace
Adrian admits the convenience of Upwork was hard to resist: minimal networking, asynchronous messaging, and the ability to find clients without leaving your comfort zone. But that convenience has downsides. Heavy dependence on one platform can leave you exposed if that platform’s demand shifts. On Upwork, satisfied clients typically leave reviews but rarely provide direct referrals or contact details, limiting the long-term value of those relationships.
How Adrian pivoted — practical steps that worked
Despite the decline in Upwork leads, Adrian’s income didn’t collapse. He diversified his lead channels and focused on longer-term relationships:
– LinkedIn: He began posting content and engaging directly with potential clients. That produced some leads and increased visibility.
– Agency partnerships: He reached out to agency owners who sometimes need specialist help for legacy code, complex plugin work, or tasks they can’t handle in-house. Those ongoing partnerships produce more reliable, higher-value work than one-off Upwork gigs.
– Recruiters and temp agencies: Building relationships with staffing firms and recruiters meant he’s now a go-to candidate when they have WordPress projects in his lane.
– Focus on long-term value: Adrian shifted attention from transactional, disposable work to clients with ongoing needs — maintenance, upgrades, and follow-on projects — which tend to pay better and generate referrals.
Lessons for other WordPress professionals
– Don’t put all your eggs in one marketplace. Use platforms, but also invest in direct channels that build real relationships.
– Build a visible, evergreen presence. LinkedIn and personal websites matter. Share work, case studies, and thought leadership to attract better-fit clients.
– Aim for partnerships and repeat business, not only one-off gigs. Agencies, recruiters, and retained clients create steadier pipelines.
– Adapt your skillset. Watch where new projects are happening: modern stacks, AI-assisted workflows, and non-WordPress tooling may be where demand grows. But enterprise WordPress expertise still has value where the website is central to the business.
– Capture recommendations and contacts outside platforms. Ask for direct testimonials, emails, and introductions you can use if a marketplace fades.
Final thoughts
Adrian’s situation illustrates a broader change in the freelance marketplace: platform-driven lead flows can be powerful, but they’re not permanent. Market forces, technology, and buyer behavior evolve. The most resilient freelancers are those who combine platform work with direct relationships, strategic partnerships, and a willingness to pivot toward where clients now look for talent.
If you want to follow Adrian or reach out, he’s active on LinkedIn and maintains a site at CustomWP.io.