Success was once defined as being able to stay at a company for a long time and move up the corporate ladder. The goal was to reach the top, accumulate wealth and retire to a life of ease. My father is a successful senior executive. In 35 years, he worked for only three companies.

        When I started my career, things were already different. If you weren’t changing companies every three or four years, you simply weren’t getting ahead in your career. But back then, if you were a consultant or freelancer (自由职业者), people would wonder what was wrong with you. They would assume you had problems getting a job.

        Today, consulting or freelancing for five businesses at the same time is a badge of honor. It shows how valuable an individual is. Many companies now look to these “ultimate professionals” to solve problems their full-time teams can’t. Or they save money by hiring “top-tier (顶尖的) experts” only for particular projects.

        Working at home or in cafes, starting businesses of their own, and even launching business ventures that eventually may fail, all indicate “initiative,” “creativity,” and “adaptability,” which are desirable qualities in today’s workplace. Most important, there is a growing recognition that people who balance work and play, and who work at what they are passionate about, are more focused and productive, delivering greater value to their clients.

        Who are these people? They are artists, writers, programmers, providers of office services and career advice. What’s needed now is a marketplace platform specifically designed to bring freelancers and clients together. Such platforms then become a place to feature the most experienced, professional, and creative talent. This is where they conduct business, where a sense of community reinforces the culture and values of the gig economy (零工经济), and where success is rewarded with good reviews that encourage more business.

        Slowly but surely, these platforms create a bridge between traditional enterprises and this emerging economy. Perhaps more important, as the global economy continues to be disrupted by technology and other massive change, the gig economy will itself become an engine of economic and social transformation.

解析：C。例证题。根据题干中的father和题文同序原则可定位至原文第一段。该段描述了人们过去对“成功”的定义：能够在一家公司待很长时间，依照公司的晋升制度步步高升。目标就是抵达职业顶峰，积累财富，并在退休后过上安逸的生活。而作者的父亲就是这样一个例子，他35年来只在三家公司工作过，而且晋升到了高级管理层。由此可知，作者提到自己的父亲是为了阐释在过去那个年代人们眼中的成功是怎样的，因此C项为正确答案。

错项排除：原文第一段采用了“论点+例证”的论证方式，做题时应注意例证是如何支撑论点的，即找到例证和论点的共同点。虽然作者提到了父亲35年来只在三家公司工作过，但前面的论点并没有强调人们要多久才能达到事业顶峰，或是能在公司待多久，由此可知二者都不是作者想要论证的点，故排除A项和D项。B项利用原文中的accumulate wealth设置干扰，但作者在例证中没有提到父亲是如何积累财富的，因此这也不是作者想要论证的点，故排除B项。