Authenticity Expert Claims Corporate America Is Nothing More Than An Elaborate Pyramid Scheme
There are certainly some concerning similarities between the two.
Authenticity Expert Says Corporate America Is An Elaborate Pyramid Scheme People have strong, often negative, feelings about corporate America. Some think it’s a scam, and others dislike that they've had no choice but to devote much of their lives to it.
One woman falls squarely within the former category, believing corporate America is not only a scam, but a complex pyramid scheme.
The authenticity expert claimed that corporate America is nothing more than an elaborate pyramid scheme.
Audra Talamantes is a content creator, authenticity expert, and personal brand consultant, who offers “toxic workplace education” and often posts about her dislike for corporate America. She's likened it to a cult, "daycare for white men," and most recently a pyramid scheme.
She explained the overlap between corporate America and pyramid schemes.
“There are two main characteristics of a pyramid scheme,” Talamantes stated. “One is an unsustainable business model where profits primarily come from recruiting new participants rather than providing a legitimate product or service.”
As evidence, she pointed to the "churning and burning through" of people that corporations tend to do. Employees are viewed as expendable, especially as they get older and companies can replace them with recently-graduated recruits.
“The other [characteristic of a pyramid scheme], which I think applies the most, is those at the top benefit disproportionately, while those at the bottom often lose money or gain very little,” she continued.
It's hard to argue that the second attribute doesn't apply. As Talamantes pointed out, CEOs make disproportionately more than their employees. In fact, a 2023 report found that CEOs were paid 290 times more than a typical worker.
"CEOs are just making an insane amount of money, while everybody else is gonna have to be on food stamps and can barely survive,” she stressed. “Executives and shareholders reap almost all of the benefits, and barely anything is left for the bottom.”
Those at the top — of a pyramid scheme and corporate America — reap all of the benefits and face none of the consequences. Talamantes shared a quote that perfectly exemplified her point: "Like pyramid schemes, corporations often prioritize profit over ethics, leading to scandals, layoffs, and environmental degradation without consequences for those at the top."
While corporate America has some similarities to a pyramid scheme, it's not a perfect match
Pyramid schemes and corporate America certainly share some concerning characteristics, as Talamantes pointed out in her video. However, there are also some significant differences between the two.
According to Investor.gov, there is an “emphasis on recruiting” in pyramid schemes, as Talamantes pointed out. This could be one case where the two overlap.
However, you can’t really say that “no genuine product or service is sold” in corporate America as you can for pyramid schemes. The same goes for attributes like a “complex commission structure,” “no demonstrated revenue from retail sales” and “promises of high returns in a short time period.”
You could argue that “easy money or passive income” is true for executives and others at the top, but the same argument certainly couldn’t be made for the average employee.
While there may be some disturbing similarities between pyramid schemes and corporate America, Talamantes' claim isn't entirely accurate. That's not to say; however, that corporate America isn't rife with exploitation and problems of its own.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.