Americans are hooked on the fantasy of financial liberation

About 1 in 13 American adults have participated in MLM, or multilevel marketing, contributing to an estimated $40 billion industry.

MLMs feed into the idea that “if you work hard, try hard, you’ll get rewarded,” says Jane Marie, the host of a podcast series called The Dream and the author of a new book, Selling the Dream, both of which investigate the intersection of MLMs and pyramid schemes and the broader “wellness” industry. “There’s an ‘us versus them’ mentality and it feeds on the idea that there’s a shortcut and a cheat code to financial prosperity, to achieving the American Dream.”