Upwork (UPWK) executive compensation, 2026 proxy

Hayden Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, was paid $17.1M in 2025, up 72% from $9.9M the year before. The CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio was 287:1, on median employee pay of $59,608.

Filed
April 23, 2026
Annual meeting
June 4, 2026
Pay year
2025
Named executives
3
CEO total pay
$17.1M+72% vs prior year
CEO to median employee
287:1median $59,608
CEO pay in equity
89%$15.2M in awards
Prior say-on-pay support
94%of votes cast
CEO Stock Awards
$15,153,165Granted under ASC 718
CEO Non-Equity Incentive
$1,289,438Earned under annual bonus plan
CFO Total Pay
$5,610,517For fiscal year 2025
Marketplace GM Total Pay
$3,515,809For fiscal year 2025

How Brown was paid

$17.1M in total for 2025, as reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Equity awards are valued at grant, not at what they turned out to be worth.

Salary4%Stock awards89%Non-equity incentive8%All other compensation0%

Named executive officers

ExecutiveTotal
Hayden BrownPresident and Chief Executive Officer$17,094,702
Erica GessertChief Financial Officer$5,610,517
David T. BottomsGM, Marketplace$3,515,809

What changed and why

  • $17.1MCEO total compensation increased to $17,094,702 in 2025 from $9,931,909 in 2024.
  • $625KAnnual base salary for the CEO rose to $625,000 from $595,000.
  • $15.2MStock awards for the CEO increased significantly to $15,153,165 from $8,554,496.
  • $1.3MNon-equity incentive plan compensation for the CEO grew to $1,289,438 from $761,600.
  • $787.8MThe company achieved record full-year revenue of $787.8 million and record adjusted EBITDA.

About this page

Figures are automated and can be wrong; check the filing for the exact numbers. Totals follow SEC rules, which value stock and option awards at grant. Read the DEF 14A proxy statement for footnotes and the compensation committee's full reasoning.