It's a continuum: Ponzi -> Illegal MLM -> Legal MLM -> For-Profit Corporation. In Ponzis and Illegal MLMs, there's either no product or a sham product to disgu

It's a continuum: Ponzi -> Illegal MLM -> Legal MLM -> For-Profit Corporation. In Ponzis and Illegal MLMs, there's either no product or a sham product to disguise money from new recruits paying off the lineage. Legal MLMs are legal because there's a more legitimate product that accounts for a larger share of revenue. But even for-profit corporations that need to grow to survive share some features with the illegal variety, it's just that the real value of their products is a larger portion of their total revenue.