LinkedIn Article
The Enshittification of the Freelance Marketplace
Posted 20 January 2026 by VentureX
Large freelance platforms can degrade over time as they extract more value while delivering less-through fees, algorithmic matching, and incentive shifts. Discovery gets harder, quality becomes noisier, and trust erodes for both sides. Clients pay more for worse fit, while freelancers lose margin and autonomy. The result is higher friction and lower satisfaction across the marketplace.