🕯Superstition Ain't the Way ⚜️
If you've been using Venmo lately, you've probably seen them: those persistent ads encouraging you to invest in PayPal's stablecoin (PYUSD) with promises of earning rewards. You're not alone in wondering what this is all about, and you're right to see it as something bigger than just another investment opportunity.
What we're witnessing is a perfect case study of the viral economy in action—and a compelling preview of how Universal Basic Income could actually work in our digital future.
The Viral Economy Meets Digital Currency
Venmo's aggressive push for PYUSD adoption isn't just about getting you to buy cryptocurrency. PayPal is offering a 3.7% annual yield on PYUSD holdings, with rewards accruing daily and paid monthly. But here's where it gets interesting: this isn't traditional investing—it's viral economics at its finest.
Every time someone joins the PYUSD program through a Venmo referral, both the referrer and the new user benefit. The platform grows, network effects kick in, and suddenly you have a self-sustaining ecosystem where people earn simply by participating and bringing others into the fold. Sound familiar? It should—this is exactly how the gig economy trained us to think about earning money through platforms.
The Price Club Model Goes Digital
Remember when warehouse stores like Costco revolutionized retail by making customers pay for the privilege to shop there? Venmo's stablecoin strategy flips this concept beautifully. Instead of paying to join, users get paid to participate. Hold PYUSD on PayPal, and you could get 4% rewards—essentially getting paid for being part of their financial ecosystem.
This is the digital equivalent of a price club where membership has its privileges, except the privileges include passive income simply for existing within the network.
Why This Matters for UBI's Future
Here's the crucial insight: while UBI probably won't come from Venmo or PayPal directly, what they're demonstrating is exactly what digital UBI could look like. Imagine if instead of traditional government payments, UBI operated through:
▪︎ Digital currency distribution that's automatic and borderless
▪︎ Network effects where participation benefits everyone
▪︎ Viral referral systems that incentivize community growth
▪︎ Platform-based rewards that create sustainable income streams
The infrastructure is already here. PYUSD allows fee-free transfers between PayPal and Venmo users, creating a seamless digital economy where money moves instantly without traditional banking friction.
What makes this moment significant isn't the 3.7% yield—it's the behavioral shift. Millions of Americans are getting comfortable with earning money simply by holding digital currency and referring friends. They're learning that economic participation can be passive, viral, and beneficial for entire communities.
This is training wheels for a UBI-enabled economy where your basic income arrives automatically in digital form, where sharing and participating amplifies everyone's benefits, and where traditional employment becomes just one of many ways to contribute economically.
Looking Forward
The next time you see those Venmo ads, don't just think about the immediate opportunity. Think about what they represent: a working prototype of viral economics, digital distribution, and community-based wealth creation. These are the building blocks of economic systems that could support universal basic income in ways that traditional government programs never could.
The viral economy isn't coming—it's already here, hiding in plain sight in your payment apps. The question isn't whether digital UBI is possible; it's how quickly we'll recognize that the infrastructure is already being built, one stablecoin ad at a time.
