What It's Like to Work at Circle

In one sentence, why does the mission matter to your team — and what decision did it guide recently?

Our mission, which is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value, matters because it reminds us that innovation is worth pursuing when it expands access and opportunity for everyone. In my role leading Circle’s impact and global access expansion work, that principle guides decisions every day. It has led us to prioritize partnerships with United Nations agencies that use USDC to deliver life-sustaining resources — from payments to frontline healthcare workers and housing support for internally displaced people in conflict zones to programs that help economically displaced women entrepreneurs rebuild stability. These initiatives are complex; they’re resource-intensive. And we support them because at Circle, purpose and performance are inextricably entwined. We see that when value moves freely and transparently, people and communities build stronger, more resilient futures.

Which community or customer initiative best demonstrates your mission — and how is it measured?

Our impact and access expansion initiatives best demonstrate our mission in action. Through collaborations with global partners, we’ve helped economically displaced women in the Middle East rebuild stability and supported innovators across Southeast Asia and Latin America as they restore livelihoods and rejoin the global economy. At the end of 2023, we also launched the Unlocking Impact pitch competition series — we just hosted our sixth iteration — which spotlights and funds builders from the Global South harnessing Circle’s technology to address seemingly intractable challenges. We measure success not only through speed, transparency, and cost savings but through what we’re enabling: those once excluded from traditional finance participating more fully, innovating more freely and prospering more sustainably.

Do employees believe the mission is real? Share a moment or ritual that proves it.

Absolutely. One of the most energizing parts of my work is sharing “mission in action” stories across the company, real examples of how our technology supports families, entrepreneurs and communities in crisis. When teams hear how USDC helped a nurse in Venezuela obtain life-sustaining essentials or a Ukrainian mother secure rent after displacement, the mission becomes tangible. That sense of purpose is also embedded in our structure: Before our IPO, Circle pledged 1 percent of its equity to a foundation dedicated to advancing our mission and ideals, ensuring that impact remains hardwired into our long-term success. Together, these commitments reinforce a simple truth: Prosperity is most powerful when it’s shared.