Under the published framework the Gold Card process runs on the processing fee, vetting and the gift rather than on a labour certification, but the case still ends in EB-1 or EB-2 with their own eligibility and visa-availability rules. Verify the current official terms before relying on this.
The gift replaces the labour-market test, not the category
The official program page describes an applicant who pays a US$15,000 nonrefundable processing fee, passes vetting and then makes a US$1 million gift, after which the case proceeds under EB-1 or EB-2. It does not describe a job offer or a labour certification, which is the step an employer-sponsored EB-2 would normally require. That is the practical difference for a professional whose employer is hesitant to sponsor.
What does not change is the destination: EB-1 and EB-2 are existing employment-based categories with their own eligibility standards, admissibility screening and annual visa limits. An applicant should therefore ask two questions before paying the fee: which of the two categories will the case use, and is a visa number available for her chargeability at that time. The program is new and its published terms may change; the answers should come from the current official page, dated, not from this summary.