NYSE-Listed Vida Global Starts Paying Employees in Bitcoin via Lightning Network
NYSE-listed AI operating system Vida Global has started paying its employees in Bitcoin using the Lightning network. The company, based in Austin, Texas, made the decision after a worker in Argentina requested to be paid in Bitcoin due to challenges with their local currency.
Vida's CEO Lyle Pratt explained that Voltage, a Bitcoin infrastructure company, facilitates the payments. Employees receive payment in Bitcoin, and Vida settles the balance in US dollars at the end of the month. This setup meets employee needs without adding crypto complexity to accounting.
According to Pratt, the arrangement is 'remarkably simple for both our team and our finance operations.' Voltage CEO Graham Krizek added that it's solving a mismatch between global AI companies and payment rails that haven't kept up with their needs.