Watch an insider break down how multilevel marketing companies operate—from recruitment to retention.

Multilevel marketing companies are direct sales companies with a pyramid-shaped hierarchy resulting from recruitment, but they aren't legally considered pyramid schemes because revenue is driven by product sales rather than recruitment fees.

Former LuLaRoe vendors have accused the clothing multilevel marketing company of operating a pyramid scheme, resulting in more than 50 lawsuits and a $4.75M settlement.

A video showing how drug dealing really works

What motivates people to sell drugs? The "News on Drugs" series asks how people get drawn into the drug trade, unpacking the different goals and aims involved in dealing drugs. While there is a lot of focus on cartels, traffickers, and gangs...

Founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos, Amway, a home goods company, is the largest multilevel marketing company in the world by revenue, generating more than $7B annually.

Listen to an account of an 'airplane game' leader, a notorious, widespread illegal pyramid scheme that swept across the US in the 1980s.

Why do people join cults?

This quick TED video dives into some of the social psychology behind membership in radical cults, including famous ones where members took their own lives.

Vemma reached a $238M settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over its pyramid scheme-style recruitment tactics that targeted college boys to sell energy drinks in the early 2010s.

The scam factories behind prolific scamming

Scammers are on the rise, and many of those behind them are trapped in so-called scam factories—shadowy organizations tricking honest workers into fraudulent employment.

How big brands keep your loyalty

We perceive ourselves as rational decision-makers—but research about our consumption habits suggest we are easily played by clever marketing. Here's how big brands design their branding to keep you coming back.

An account of unethical behavior by psychedelic guides

Ethical guidelines and protections have a gossamer grasp in the underground psychedelics movement. This 34-minute podcast episode delves into patterns of deception and abuse by movement leaders through one source's deeply personal tale. This episode, which involves descriptions of sexual violence, is one of many in New York Magazine's Power Trip series, a nine-part investigation into the darker side of the psychedelic renaissance.

An inside look at what it's like to be a consultant

This video explains the basics of consulting, as well as what it's actually like to be a consultant—from the lifestyle and hours to compensation.

Money 'mules' don't always know they are laundering money

Money mules are anyone who receives money in a laundering scheme and then sends it forward, either to another company or to a financial institution. While some money mules—often called smurfs—actually work with criminals laundering money, getting someone to receive and then send money has become a popular scam.

The drama of the car dealership quota

Car salespersons are often under a ton of pressure to meet quotas at their dealership, at least partly explaining why they are known to stoop to such lows to sell cars. In this now legendary podcast episode, "This American Life" host Ira Glass and...

Read about why America is obsessed with the stories of financial scammers.

In 2012, Bill Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square, took a $1B short position against supplement company Herbalife after discovering that 82% of the company's distributors never made a profit, calling it a true pyramid scheme.

Peloton's success is partly due to users' relationships with instructors

Despite Peloton's online model, most users feel a deep connection with the instructors and have created community groups around their shared identities (like being a mom or a lawyer). The relationship users have with their instructors has fueled consistent engagement and paved the way for instructors to take on personal brand deals. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Money laundering is a three-step process: placement, layering, and integration

"Placement" occurs when dirty money is introduced into the financial system. Then "layering" happens when the money is moved around to disguise where it actually came from. Finally, the money is placed in other assets or investments in a step called integration.

A major dopamine hit from social media use comes from unpredictability—not knowing if the content users post or share will get the 'like' from other users, triggering cycles of anticipation similar to those experienced with a slot machine.

Private equity deals sometimes come with layoffs.

How Peloton got moms hooked

Peloton's at-home workout classes were a game-changer for parents, giving them a chance to squeeze a workout in without leaving the house. The community group feature on Peloton created a sense of community that made users incredibly loyal to the brand.

Despite many influencers having loyal followings, creator-led brands often fail when the hype from first-time buyers dies down and doesn't translate into repeat purchases.

Meet a payday lender who tried to fight the industry

Phil Locke once ran more than 40 payday lending stores in Michigan before walking away from lending in 2012. Locke left because he said he felt guilty about being a predatory lender. He tried to become a consumer protection advocate and influence reform, but ended up returning to the industry. (Some users may experience an email wall.)

Social media platforms benefit not just from ensuring they have satisfied users, but also from the personal data they scoop up and can then sell to online advertisers.

A former recruiter's 10 rules for salary negotiation start with one piece of advice: never give your number first.

How the people behind spam text messages make money

If you've ever gotten a text message from a scammer—sometimes even just someone from an unknown number saying hello and calling you by the wrong name—you've probably wondered what they're trying to get out of you. This podcast answers that question. Hint: The answer has to do with cryptocurrency.

‘I realized after I got there it was a cult,’ one former WeWork executive said

WeWork isn’t only known for how it revolutionized modern work, or its spectacular financial rise and fall. It’s also known for its former cultlike company culture under former CEO Adam Neumann, complete with a charismatic leader and “summer camp” company retreats that blurred the lines between work and personal life.

Special-purpose acquisition companies let companies skirt the IPO process

A video explains how private companies have taken advantage of this loophole, why investing in these companies isn’t always a good idea, and how blank-check companies (as they’re commonly called) work.

Ray Kroc proposed the idea of franchising McDonald's as a way to sell more of his Multimixers 7 years before buying the McDonald's brothers out of the company for $2.7M.

After Bernie Madoff's nearly $65B Ponzi scheme was exposed, the Securities and Exchange Commission was widely criticized for being inattentive and overly lax for not having caught the fraud earlier.

To continue selling mortgages, agencies that determine how risky a loan is gave high ratings to homebuyers regardless of their actual risk portfolio.

Market concentration and high markups don't always signal a monopoly

When regulators and economists evaluate whether a company constitutes an illegal monopoly, they often consider its overall market share or its relatively high price markups. This piece argues that the Olley-Pakes decomposition is a better measure, identifying whether customers within a market are switching to more productive companies.

Accountability can be why some people like support groups

Group camaraderie and peer support encourage people to continually connect through a support group and push participants to reflect, share, and find connection as they navigate through their lives.

The story of the Sackler empire behind highly addictive OxyContin

This investigative report examines how the Sackler family built its fortune through Purdue Pharma’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller. Through 2017, the drug had generated more than $30B in sales for Purdue Pharma, controlled by the Sacklers.

Insider trading is the practice of trading a company's securities based on material, nonpublic information.

Girl Scout cookies are so successful because buying them feels like giving to charity.

The program generates $800M a year not because the cookies are exceptional, but because the salesforce makes refusal feel like a moral failure.

An overview of monopolies, when one company controls an entire market

In the business world, a monopoly exists when one company controls the entire market. Regulators take issue with monopolies because they have been found to limit consumer choices, raise prices, and hurt competition.

Prediction markets—the platforms where users can trade bets that pay out depending on certain event outcomes—have faced questions about insider trading.

Some influencers are facing the dark side of being a public persona

From burnout to stalkers, a content creator’s life can quickly become complicated as their following grows. Women’s Health recently spoke with some creators about what they wish they’d known before they started their careers on social media.

Watch Dr. Laurence Peter explain his 'Peter Principle,' which states that people are promoted to their level of incompetence and explains why bosses aren't always good at their jobs.

Pay transparency advocates claim that increased awareness about how much coworkers are being paid helps stop speculative judgments about other team members' pay based on faulty data points, like what type of car a coworker drives.

Meet a government agent who laundered millions of dollars for Pablo Escobar.

How one supplement company cost a short seller $1B

Pershing Square, a hedge fund founded and run by Bill Ackman, put short positions on Herbalife in 2012, because it believed the company was a pyramid scheme. Ackman's longtime rival and legendary investor Carl Icahn began buying Herbalife shares, causing the stock price to rise—ultimately hurting Pershing Square's short position.

The history and success of the mysterious Mars Inc.

Mars, Incorporated manufactures some of the world’s favorite treats, including M&M’s, Snickers, and Milky Way bars. Despite their success, you’ve probably not heard of them. The privately held company is largely unknown to the world despite being owned by the second-richest family in the US. This podcast discusses the mysterious Mars family and their remarkable entrepreneurial feat. Listen to uncover more.

'Men's groups' may fail if members aren't truly invested in growth

Individuals who are truly dedicated to the mission of personal growth and want to build connections and community are essential for this type of group's success. The groups require an ongoing commitment, and members must be open to feedback, which can be a challenge. The hope in these groups is to build a bond that extends beyond a weekly or biweekly meeting. One such group is The Alliance, which has hundreds of members divided into local chapters.

Inside the Sarah Lawrence College sex cult scandal

In late 2010, a middle-aged man, freshly released from prison, moved into his daughter's college dorm and created a group that had all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. Authorities credited his arrest to a magazine article published in 2019 detailing victims' allegations.

While influencers try to make money off of their posts, that's not always the case for content creators.

Life insurance offers peace of mind, ensuring that loved ones are financially supported after one's passing

People typically apply for life insurance policies through specific companies or online marketplaces. This video offers more information that's important to know when considering buying life insurance.

Retail investors are getting burned by long/short strategies

In the US, many retail investors lack the SEC-mandated status (a high enough net worth, income, and other factors) to directly invest in hedge funds. The regulator considers hedge funds too risky for the masses. Hedge fund-like strategies have emerged as a workaround, despite potential pitfalls.

'The Firm' is a book about the influence of top consulting firm McKinsey

The author argues that consulting firms are so valuable to the companies that hire them because the clients don’t have to take the blame for any changes the consulting firm decides to make within the organization.

Training to be a K-pop idol is a high-pressure experience

The life of an idol is known to be arduous, but what does life look like before one even reaches fame? In this video, a reporter investigates the K-pop dance schools of South Korea and unveils a darker side of the industry. In hopes of "making it," students undergo relentless training routines and auditions to achieve their idea of perfection. While the pupils insist on their autonomy and belief in the system, there are clear pressures to conform and meet industry expectations.