It was announced today that Elance and oDesk, the two leading marketplaces for online freelance work, will merge.

The two companies will continue to maintain two separate websites at Elance.com and oDesk.com. Gary Swart, current CEO of oDesk, will step down and Fabio Rosati will serve as CEO of the joined company.

“Just as Amazon reinvented retail, and Apple iTunes transformed the music industry, we will greatly improve how businesses hire and people work online," Favio Rosati said in a press release. "This merger will create unprecedented access and flexibility for people to find job opportunities regardless of their location, and will allow businesses of all sizes to more easily access the best available talent.”

Gary Swart is calling the merger "a landmark in the evolution of work." Freelancers will earn about $750 million on Elance and oDesk in 2014.

Freelancers, what do you think of this merger?