Upwork's Lifted buys Berlin employer-of-record WorkMotion for about $129.7M in cash

What's the deal? Lifted, the enterprise business of Upwork, has acquired 100% of WorkMotion, a Berlin-based employer of record (EOR), for cash consideration of about $129.7M, according to Upwork's quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The deal closed on 30 October 2026 and was paid from cash on hand. Upwork announced it alongside its Q3 results on 2 November and booked $5.7M of transaction costs in the quarter.

What WorkMotion brings: Founded in Berlin in 2020, WorkMotion runs a tech-enabled EOR platform on a network of its own legal entities in more than 30 countries, acting as the legal employer of staff that companies hire abroad. Lifted, launched by Upwork in 2025, already offers independent contractor compliance and agent-of-record services in 180+ countries but has used third-party partners for EOR outside the US and Canada. WorkMotion stays an independent German company with its own brand and platform, CEO Felix Steffens and his leadership team stay on, and it plans to add more owned entities over the next two years.

Why it matters: "We are doubling down on our enterprise strategy with Lifted's acquisition of WorkMotion," Upwork CEO Hayden Brown said. It came in a quarter when Upwork's revenue fell 8% year on year to $185.6M and its CFO announced she will step down, a sign of how marketplaces are leaning on enterprise services as AI reshapes freelance work.

Sources: Lifted / Upwork announcement, WorkMotion, Staffing Industry Analysts.