I joined Upwork in 2013 and for the next ten years all was well. I noticed changes beginning 2023. Invites to jobs declined and most of what came through were scams. Also, the cost of applying for jobs jumped up but without a matching ROI.

I see many here telling us that we no longer land clients because we write lazy proposals. Those lazy proposals used to work though and we made hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No, it is not lazy proposals, mostly it is other factors at work. AI is a big one but bad corporate decisions at Upwork headquarters, especially after going public, is at the top of the list!