On the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern, Nathan Wrigley spoke with Adrian Sticea about a striking change Adrian documented in a viral LinkedIn post: the sharp fall of WordPress work coming through Upwork and how he has adapted.
Adrian’s background and Upwork history
Adrian began working with WordPress in 2013, initially supporting small businesses and later freelancing. After moving to the U.S. in 2016 he worked for a digital agency, then joined IBM in 2018 on a large WordPress learning platform. He returned to freelancing in 2020, spent time at StellarWP, and has spent much of his career on enterprise-level projects and complex development beyond simple site builds.
For many years Upwork was a major source of leads. Adrian tracked his projects and noticed a dramatic downward trend: a steady stream of work for years, then a rapid decline around 2023–2024 until Upwork referrals essentially stopped. That chart prompted conversation about why a once-reliable marketplace suddenly dried up for certain types of WordPress work.
What changed: factors behind the decline
Adrian and Nathan explored several overlapping explanations rather than a single cause:
– AI acceleration: AI tools have made developers faster at writing code and shipping features. That increased efficiency means fewer billable hours are needed, which can reduce hiring demand. AI didn’t eliminate all client demand, but it changed expectations about turnaround and cost.
– Economic slowdown and layoffs: The post-pandemic contraction in tech hiring and multiple waves of layoffs reduced overall demand for contract development. Combined with AI, this created a ‘‘perfect storm’’ that accelerated reductions in staffing and contracting budgets.
– Market competition and platform shifts: Upwork appears to have become saturated, and clients in the U.S. who once used Upwork for more complex, developer-focused work started favoring other channels—pre-vetted marketplaces, agencies, recruiters, or temp staffing firms (examples given include Toptal, Codeable as different models, and recruiters like Robert Half). Those alternatives often present candidates after screening and thus are perceived as higher quality for bigger projects.
– Product landscape changes: For simple brochure sites, platforms such as Wix, Squarespace, Framer and modern page builders have made it easier for non-technical customers to launch sites without WordPress. New projects may also favor JavaScript-based stacks where AI-assisted tooling is advancing rapidly.
– Nature of work on Upwork: While simple WordPress site builds and small gigs still circulate on Upwork, the more complex plugin development, enterprise projects, and legacy code maintenance that Adrian specialized in have largely moved off-platform or become harder to find there.
The danger of relying on one marketplace
Adrian reflected on the attraction of marketplaces: they’re easy to use, minimize in-person networking, and let founders and introverted developers find work without stepping out of their comfort zones. But relying on a single source makes you vulnerable when that source changes. Upwork clients often leave reviews, but rarely provide referrals or introductions, so a developer’s long-term pipeline and reputation outside the platform can remain underdeveloped.
Adrian admitted some regret about being too dependent on Upwork at times, since it limited referral opportunities and direct client relationships. The lesson: diversify lead sources and build long-term relationships and testimonials that persist beyond one platform.
How Adrian pivoted
Importantly, the drop in Upwork referrals did not translate into an income shortfall for Adrian—he proactively diversified. His three-pronged approach has been:
1) Content and networking on LinkedIn: He started posting, building an audience, and generating inbound leads. His LinkedIn post about Upwork’s decline went viral and created new visibility.
2) Building agency partnerships: He reached out to agency owners who occasionally need senior help for legacy systems or complex plugin work. Those relationships yield better-paying, higher-quality projects.
3) Working with recruiters and temp agencies: By cultivating contacts at staffing and recruiting firms, Adrian is presented for projects that match his skills after pre-vetting, giving him higher-trust client conversations.
The payoff of relationship-driven work
Adrian emphasized that direct relationships and agency/recruiter channels often lead to better clients and longer-term opportunities—ongoing maintenance, future upgrades, and referrals—whereas Upwork can feel transactional and one-off. Building this pipeline takes longer and requires more outward effort, but it tends to be more sustainable and rewarding.
Broader takeaways for WordPress professionals
– Don’t depend on a single marketplace. Spread lead sources: personal website, LinkedIn, agencies, recruiters, and curated marketplaces that fit your specialization.
– Invest in relationships. Long-term client relationships produce repeat work and referrals that reduce the constant need to chase new gigs.
– Adapt your offering. If the market shifts toward other stacks or AI-assisted workflows, find niches where your expertise remains valuable—legacy maintenance, enterprise systems, or architect-level roles where experience matters.
– Use platforms strategically. Marketplaces are useful for volume and discovery but shouldn’t be the only pillar of a business.
Where to reach Adrian
Adrian is active on LinkedIn and maintains a site at CustomWP.io. He encourages others in the WordPress space who are seeing similar marketplace shifts to diversify, build relationships, and consider recruiter or agency partnerships as reliable alternatives to purely relying on marketplace leads.
Conclusion
The episode is a practical case study in how macro shifts—AI, economic cycles, platform dynamics and changing product choices—can rapidly reshape a freelancer’s lead ecosystem. Adrian’s experience shows that the work itself hasn’t disappeared entirely; it has moved. Developers who adapt by diversifying channels and investing in direct relationships can secure higher-quality, longer-term opportunities even as marketplaces evolve.