Richard DeVos, Great American Scam Artist
Right-wing billionaire Richard DeVos, who died at ninety-two last week, tried to cover up his life’s record — pioneering the cruel pyramid scheme Amway, attacking organized labor, fighting LGBTQ equality — with philanthropy. But he should be remembered as a bigoted con artist.
Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVos after Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2009 Playoffs at Amway Arena on May 30, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. Elsa / Getty
The New York Times obituary for Amway founder and former CEO Richard DeVos praised him for his civic service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his philanthropy in medicine, education, and religion, and his mentorship of Shaquille O’Neal as owner of the Orlando Magic. But a more accurate portrait of DeVos’s legacy can be gleaned from a slightly less highbrow source: the subreddit r/AntiMLM (Multi-Level-Marketing).
The subreddit reads like an oral history archive of the destruction sowed by DeVos and Amway, the multi-level marketing company he co-founded with Jay Van Andel. In a thread titled “Be Especially Wary of Amway, Starbucks Baristas!,” the poster complains that the company “is known for scouting baristas specifically” and recounts how “Amway infiltrated the Starbucks I used to work at . . . and turned one employee and his fiance into the most insufferable assholes almost overnight.” In another thread titled “My ex got involved in Amway. Cue divorce,” a Redditor laments that “Every cent of our minuscule budget (in our 20’s) was spent on expensive products, ‘training’ materials and conferences.”
While the accounts vary, one theme is consistent: Amway has wreaked havoc on people’s lives. Through its blend of bootstraps ideology and evangelicalism, Amway duped millions.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.