I've just watched a video on YouTube that's an interview with two people who were very high up in an MLM and who've since left. They don't give the name of the company but, from some of the details they gave, I'm pretty confident that it's Amway.
There were some interesting points, but the thing that stood out to me is that it feels like they were so close to understanding all the dangers and issues of MLMs but stopped short right before they got there.
They talked a bit about how there were people who were working hard but not succeeding or who failed through no fault of there own, but then a few minutes later, when asked why other people weren't as successful as they were, they started talking about the time and effort and sacrifices they put in. They talked about how they could overcome their fear and how they were consistent, implying that other people failed because they didn't do those things. Not a mention of timing or saturated markets that mean that the people in first have an easier time than the people who join later. They were still attributing their success to their own hard work.
They talked about how it's maybe possible for anyone to succeed - even though the model of the MLM makes it impossible. There's always someone at the bottom level of the pyramid, and if that person recruits others, then they've just created a new bottom level and by its nature those people at the bottom are not going to be earning money.
Right at the end, they were asked if they thought it was possible to be in an ethical MLM, and they said it was possible. Despite all their experiences and everything they figured out was toxic about the company they were in, they haven't put the pieces together that it's the whole business model that's a problem.
The video is here, if you're interested in watching:
It goes on a bit of a tangent about religion and Christianity in the middle, but it's an interesting interview.