autoexplotarse

Mostly economic/sociological jargon for freelancers and small business owners who overwork themselves without the labor protections an employer would owe them — tied to critiques of gig-economy work.

• Muchos autónomos terminan autoexplotándose para sobrevivir. — Many freelancers end up overworking/exploiting themselves just to get by.
• El estudio advierte que emprender a veces significa autoexplotarse. — The study warns that starting a business sometimes means exploiting your own labor.
• Trabajar catorce horas diarias por cuenta propia es autoexplotarse. — Working fourteen hours a day for yourself is self-exploitation.

Not simply 'working hard' — it specifically frames the overwork as exploitative, the way an employer exploiting a worker would be, applied to oneself.

Often confused with explotar.