{"id":47630,"date":"2025-12-08T09:55:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/?p=47630"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:55:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:55:21","slug":"podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/","title":{"rendered":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers, AI &amp; Human-Centered Leadership &#8211; Episode 13 with Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In today\u2019s rapidly shifting world of work,&nbsp;<strong>flexibility isn\u2019t a trend \u2014 it\u2019s survival<\/strong>.&nbsp;But while many companies fear the idea of working with freelancers, contractors, or fractional experts, others are building entire engines of innovation powered by independent talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the pioneers of this new operating system is&nbsp;<strong>Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez<\/strong>, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft 365 &amp; AI Copilot, professor, AI startup founder, and author of&nbsp;<em>Leading the Unknown<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>The Inevitable Future of Work<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Across our conversation for&nbsp;The Independent Workforce&nbsp;podcast, we realised one thing: <strong>Nuri isn\u2019t just hiring freelancers. He\u2019s reshaping global workforces with heart, community, and AI.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the story of how he built one of the world\u2019s most advanced freelance-powered ecosystems \u2014 and what every leader can learn from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f5f5f5\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: \ud83d\udcaa How Microsoft Built a Global Freelance Workforce | The Independent Workforce | Nuri Demirci Lopez\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" data-src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/4BwrHY1FQxpNAbNyYpgKZf\/video?utm_source=oembed\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Enjoyed this episode?<br><\/strong>Subscribe now on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@freelancermapinternational6860\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creators.spotify.com\/pod\/profile\/freelancermap\/\">Spotify<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-independent-workforce\/id1840173073\">Apple Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/The-Independent-Workforce-podcast-episode-13-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.pdf\">\ud83d\udce9 Download the full transcript \ud83d\udce9<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Uber Ride That Changed Microsoft<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The journey began not in a meeting room, but in the back of an Uber. Nuri laughed when he admitted he didn\u2019t even know Uber existed at the time. But that ride \u2014 and the driver\u2019s life-changing story \u2014 sparked something big: <strong>\u201cThanks to Uber, work comes to me rather than me having to find work.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That sentence didn\u2019t leave him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Microsoft, he was already leading a massive support organisation. He suddenly saw how this mindset could transform enterprise operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He didn\u2019t pitch a $10 million plan.&nbsp;He started with&nbsp;<strong>$5,000<\/strong>, a handful of freelancers, and a mentor who believed in experimentation. Eight years later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Microsoft now invests $1.2M per month in its freelance-powered support ecosystem.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>900+ freelancers.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>72 countries.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One of the most complex and resilient global delivery engines ever created.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-36b0e7334426c4f14d00f39dd9386fcc\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#5202ff\"><strong>Build the workforce of the future \u2014 today.<\/strong><br>If you&#8217;re ready to scale with agility, global talent, and AI-driven systems, our community of curated freelancers can help you deliver faster, smarter, and more efficiently.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/freelancers-directory.html\"><strong>&gt; 100,000+ freelancers available<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Freelancers? Curiosity, Agility &amp; Peak Performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we asked why independent talent plays such a big role, his answer was refreshingly human:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Most freelancers are curious. They\u2019re hungry to learn. They\u2019re constantly exploring because they\u2019re already thinking about their next opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s worked with&nbsp;<strong>5,000\u20136,000 freelancers<\/strong>&nbsp;over the past eight years. And 80\u201385% of them, he says, display a level of engagement that energises entire teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freelancers aren\u2019t just flexible.&nbsp;They expand a company&#8217;s intelligence. They scale up during crises \u2014 like when floods devastated Valencia, and insurance companies couldn\u2019t keep up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Nuri put it: <strong>\u201cScaling is essential. You must scale with talent, competence, and compliance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Earthquake-Proof Business Model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yurii shared with him his metaphor of freelancers being like the flexible foundations under earthquake-resistant buildings. He didn\u2019t miss a beat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Exactly. And companies are moving in that direction because uncertainty is the new normal.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>COVID proved that.&nbsp;Layoffs continue to prove that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between companies that survive and companies that evolve comes down to adaptability, and freelancers provide that elasticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do You Trust Them?: The Most Common Corporate Fear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every leader who considers freelancers asks the same thing: <strong>\u201cHow do you trust people you don\u2019t control?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuri smiled, because he has heard it a thousand times. His answer was one of the most important insights of the entire conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Even a full-time employee \u2014 even a U.S. Marine \u2014 can make mistakes or do harm. Trust is not about employment status. It\u2019s about systems.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft\u2019s freelance ecosystem includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multi-stage screening<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Background checks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Technical interviews run by senior freelancers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A&nbsp;<strong>psychologist<\/strong>&nbsp;observing onboarding sessions for behavioural cues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI tools that detect whether candidates use AI to solve technical tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time monitoring for compliance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Instant kill-switch access controls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Trust, in other words, is&nbsp;<strong>engineered<\/strong>, not assumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-3384f1bf18d69fdab44fd9fc51990ad5\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#5202ff\"><strong>Join a global community where your talent becomes impact.<\/strong><br>Work with leading brands, collaborate with other top freelancers, and grow inside a network built on trust, community, and heart.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/registration?ref=blog-com-podcast-nuri-demirci\"><strong>&gt; Create your freelancer profile<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Freelancers Hiring Freelancers: The Self-Sustaining System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of our favourite moments was when we realised: <strong>Freelancers built the system that hires freelancers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They conduct the interviews.<br>They manage onboarding.<br>They built the AI tools that screen new applicants.<br>They mentor incoming talent.<br>They lead teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yes, they even built the&nbsp;<strong>AI digital twin of Nuri<\/strong>, so freelancers can ask him questions any time of day.<br>This is what modern workforce design looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mi Casa Es Su Casa: Building a Global Freelance Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most companies treat freelancers as temporary labor.&nbsp;But Nuri treats them as&nbsp;<strong>community<\/strong>.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He shared one story that floored me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They created a program where freelancers in different countries could&nbsp;<strong>swap homes<\/strong>&nbsp;for holidays and social good missions. A freelancer in Slovenia exchanged houses with someone in Kenya.&nbsp;And this became normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another initiative:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An&nbsp;<strong>internal freelance job market<\/strong>, where freelancers post opportunities and hire each other into side projects. Why does this matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because: <strong>\u201cWhen you win their hearts, the entire ecosystem becomes unstoppable.\u201d<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freelancers weren\u2019t just executing tasks.&nbsp;They were building friendships, trust, collaboration, and loyalty at a global scale. No contract can buy that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Secret to Onboarding Freelancers Fast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For companies overwhelmed by \u201chow to start,\u201d Nuri\u2019s advice is simple: <strong>\u201cGo slow. Start small. Iterate until it works.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And most importantly: <strong>\u201cHire freelancers to design the system for freelancers.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They know what they need. &nbsp;They know what doesn\u2019t work.&nbsp;And they\u2019ll build onboarding tools faster and cheaper than any internal team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Managing the \u201cUnmanageable\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We asked him something many leaders struggle with: <strong>How do you manage people who aren\u2019t \u2018manageable\u2019 in the traditional sense?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His answer was poetic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>When people understand the \u2018why,\u2019 and when they work with their hearts \u2014 not just their brains \u2014 you don\u2019t need to manage them. You collaborate with them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Their monthly \u201call-hands\u201d isn\u2019t called \u201call-hands.\u201d It\u2019s called&nbsp;<strong>All Hearts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Culture isn\u2019t a slogan in Nuri\u2019s world.&nbsp;It\u2019s a system. And freelancers feel it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Companies Hiring Freelancers for the First Time<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>&nbsp;Start small: <\/strong>Don\u2019t hire 50 freelancers at once.&nbsp;Start with 3\u20135 and learn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;<strong>Bring HR, legal, compliance &amp; security into the room early<\/strong>: They shouldn\u2019t be blockers \u2014 they should be co-designers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Choose curated platforms<\/strong>, but the keyword is always: <strong>c u r a t i o n.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;Share results early and often: This builds buy-in internally. And remember:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Work is no longer about where you go, or even what you do.<\/strong> <strong>It\u2019s about who you can become.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Freelancers accelerate that becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuri is building isn\u2019t just a workforce\u2026&nbsp;It\u2019s a new social architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A world where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Work is flexible<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Talent is global<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI extends capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community fuels performance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human connection remains at the center<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s not building a team.&nbsp;He\u2019s building&nbsp;<strong>the operating system for the future of work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And his vision echoes long after the recording stopped:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>The only workforce capable of expanding your intelligence \u2014 inside and outside your company \u2014 is the independent workforce.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I couldn\u2019t agree more. And it\u2019s only the beginning.&nbsp;Volume 2 of this conversation is definitely coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The future of work isn\u2019t coming. It\u2019s here. And freelancers are already leading it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/registration?ref=blog-com-podcast-nuri-demirci\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"300\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers.png\" alt=\"Build flexible teams with top freelancers. Sign up to freelancermap now\" class=\"wp-image-47322 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers-768x225.png 768w, https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers-720x211.png 720w, https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers-580x170.png 580w, https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/build-flexible-teams-with-freelancers-320x94.png 320w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/300;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s rapidly shifting world of work,&nbsp;flexibility isn\u2019t a trend \u2014 it\u2019s survival.&nbsp;But while many companies fear the idea of working with freelancers, contractors, or fractional experts, others are building entire engines of innovation powered by independent talent. One of the pioneers of this new operating system is&nbsp;Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4189],"tags":[3856],"class_list":["post-47630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-recruiting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Freelancer Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Natalia Campana\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@freelancer_INT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@freelancer_INT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Natalia Campana\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Natalia Campana\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c0c07efea89560f1cf644d58f321eb7\"},\"headline\":\"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers, AI &amp; Human-Centered Leadership &#8211; Episode 13 with Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\"},\"wordCount\":1261,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Recruiting\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Podcast\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\",\"name\":\"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers, AI &amp; Human-Centered Leadership &#8211; Episode 13 with Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Freelancer Blog\",\"description\":\"Tips &amp; Practical Advice for Freelancers and IT professionals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"freelancermap.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/freelancermap-black-logo@4x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/freelancermap-black-logo@4x.png\",\"width\":1044,\"height\":145,\"caption\":\"freelancermap.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/freelancer_INT\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/freelancermap-gmbh\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/freelancermap_int\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c0c07efea89560f1cf644d58f321eb7\",\"name\":\"Natalia Campana\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/548d9330cdf84e13b1e5ce0bfd750c06?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/548d9330cdf84e13b1e5ce0bfd750c06?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Natalia Campana\"},\"description\":\"Natalia is part of the international team at freelancermap. She loves the digital world, social media and meeting different cultures. Before she moved to Germany and joined the freelancermap team she worked in the US, UK and her home country Spain. Now she focuses on helping freelancers and IT professionals to find jobs and clients worldwide at www.freelancermap.com\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/natalia-campana\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/freelancer_INT\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/author\/natalia-campana\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW","description":"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW","og_description":"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/","og_site_name":"Freelancer Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Natalia Campana","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@freelancer_INT","twitter_site":"@freelancer_INT","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Natalia Campana","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/"},"author":{"name":"Natalia Campana","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c0c07efea89560f1cf644d58f321eb7"},"headline":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers, AI &amp; Human-Centered Leadership &#8211; Episode 13 with Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez","datePublished":"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/"},"wordCount":1261,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png","keywords":["Recruiting"],"articleSection":["Podcast"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/","url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/","name":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers | Episode 13 | TIW","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png","datePublished":"2025-12-08T08:55:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-08T08:55:21+00:00","description":"Discover how Microsoft built a global freelance ecosystem using AI, community, and human-centered leadership, and what every leader can learn from it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez.png","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/podcast-episode-13-nuri-demirci-lopez\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Microsoft Learned About Freelancers, AI &amp; Human-Centered Leadership &#8211; Episode 13 with Nuri Demirci L\u00f3pez"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/","name":"Freelancer Blog","description":"Tips &amp; Practical Advice for Freelancers and IT professionals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"freelancermap.com","url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/freelancermap-black-logo@4x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/freelancermap-black-logo@4x.png","width":1044,"height":145,"caption":"freelancermap.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/","https:\/\/x.com\/freelancer_INT","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/freelancermap-gmbh\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/freelancermap_int\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c0c07efea89560f1cf644d58f321eb7","name":"Natalia Campana","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/548d9330cdf84e13b1e5ce0bfd750c06?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/548d9330cdf84e13b1e5ce0bfd750c06?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Natalia Campana"},"description":"Natalia is part of the international team at freelancermap. She loves the digital world, social media and meeting different cultures. Before she moved to Germany and joined the freelancermap team she worked in the US, UK and her home country Spain. Now she focuses on helping freelancers and IT professionals to find jobs and clients worldwide at www.freelancermap.com","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/freelancermapInternational\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/natalia-campana\/","https:\/\/x.com\/freelancer_INT"],"url":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/author\/natalia-campana\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":4189,"label":"Podcast"}],"post_tag":[{"value":3856,"label":"Recruiting"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/How-Microsoft-Built-Global-Freelance-Workforce-Nuri-Demirci-Lopez-1024x576.png",720,405,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Natalia Campana","author_link":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/author\/natalia-campana\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":4189,"name":"Podcast","slug":"podcast","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4189,"taxonomy":"category","description":"The Independent Workforce by freelancermap - a podcast where we speak with CEOs, recruiters and industry leaders to learn how they work with independent talent: the wins, the challenges, and the lessons learned!","parent":0,"count":25,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":4189,"category_count":25,"category_description":"The Independent Workforce by freelancermap - a podcast where we speak with CEOs, recruiters and industry leaders to learn how they work with independent talent: the wins, the challenges, and the lessons learned!","cat_name":"Podcast","category_nicename":"podcast","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":3856,"name":"Recruiting","slug":"recruiting","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3856,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":26,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47630"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47638,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47630\/revisions\/47638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}