This is, I think, better to think about with the "meme" idea[0], that ideas function like organisms that land in your brain, have a lifecycle, reproduce, and so

This is, I think, better to think about with the "meme" idea[0], that ideas function like organisms that land in your brain, have a lifecycle, reproduce, and so on. You can apply all kinds of useful intuition from the biological world about reproductive fitness, selection, mutation, and so on. MLMs are the ideas that are like viruses because they are minimally simple (the content is not the point), they spread easily, and they use all the hosts resources (time and money) to reproduce themselves. MLMs are delightfully devious critters because they use your greed against you, promising great wealth while simultaneously sucking you dry. They are poetic justice on wheels. What is astounding is that the victims of MLMs never see it, not even after the fact. If greed drives the spread, delusion prevents building herd immunity. It's the weaponization of Mark Twain's old saw about the American poor believing they are just millionaires down on their luck. I think the end-game will be an MLM-as-a-service (MaaS) which services those enterprising folk who see the only way to profit from an MLM is to make a new one, and so start at the top. Make it easy and factor out everything but branding and sales. The customer would pick their product archetype (vitamins, cosmetics, whatever), pick a name and a logo that gets put on the boxes at the factory, and be on your way. Enrollment, payments, shipping, and all of that is all taken care of. For a small fee, of course. 0 - https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/ https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/