To get technical, Adams, Suarez, and Richardson aren’t actually being paid in bitcoin or ethereum. Rather, they’re having their paychecks immediately converted into crypto.

On payday, the crypto software company, which requires all the employees to be paid in bitcoin, exchanges an employee’s wage from US dollars to bitcoin and sends it to the employee’s crypto wallet.

David McCarville, a trusts and estates attorney at Fennemore, compared being paid in crypto to setting up recurring buys of a stock for the purpose of long-term investment. “You’re not timing the market and for entry points,” McCarville said. “I think a lot of investors believe that type of investment strategy...is better than attempting to time the market.”

They live across the globe, so when payroll happens, they’re often asleep. By the time they wake up, there could have already been a fast and unexpected downward swing, instantly cutting the employee’s salary.

If an employee is paid right after a market pullback and the crypto loses a substantial portion of value, a disgruntled employee could argue the employer violated minimum wage laws.

If one makes a profit selling the coins, it is also subject to capital gains tax. The Internal Revenue Service doesn’t care that Adams lost $1,000; he’ll still be taxed on the $5,900 paycheck.

The digital infrastructure still needs to catch up so Adams can use his crypto to pay for the subway or Suarez can pay for cafecito.