September 5th, 1882. New York City. Ten thousand workers marched from City Hall to Union Square. They wanted an eight-hour workday and fair wages. That first Labor Day celebration started America's fight for worker dignity and fair pay.

143 years later, we're seeing another big shift in how work gets done. But this time, it's not about factory floors or union halls. It's about the 4 trillion hours humans spend on phones each year—and turning that time into real money.

While many investors chase AI headlines and Fed speculation, there's a quieter trend worth watching: the infrastructure connecting global brands with distributed human work is scaling rapidly.

Mode Mobile caught our attention because they're building exactly this kind of infrastructure—connecting brands with human intelligence at the moment when both AI companies and advertisers need authentic human engagement at scale. That's why they're sponsoring today's Financial News newsletter, and we want to be transparent about this partnership. Throughout this issue, we'll share insights from various news sources and experts. When a link goes to Mode Mobile content, we'll mark it with an asterisk (*) so you always know.

With that transparency in place, let's explore this weekend's key investment theme.

What Wall Street Thinks: Another rewards app trying to pay people pennies for phone activities.

What's Actually Happening: A B2B data infrastructure platform operating across three converging multi-billion dollar markets: ad technology, AI training services, and emerging market fintech.

The numbers that matter:

But here's what the consumer marketing misses: Mode isn't selling to users first. They're selling real human engagement data to enterprise clients who need it badly.

Wait—what does $100/month actually mean in the Philippines versus Phoenix?

Most investors hear "international users" and think "worthless foreign revenue." That's the exact misunderstanding creating Mode's asymmetric opportunity.

Try our Global Earning Potential Calculator and see why Mode's 75% international user concentration is a feature, not a bug. Select a country from one of Mode's 170+ markets and watch $50-200 transform from "beer money" into meaningful economic impact.

Spoiler: In emerging markets where Mode operates, $100/month often represents 25-40% of average local income. In the US, it barely covers Netflix. This isn't trivia—it's the foundation of Mode's B2B infrastructure thesis that Wall Street completely misses.

Headlines scream about AI replacing jobs. The opposite is happening at enterprise scale. Every major AI system needs massive human feedback loops. ChatGPT responses, recommendation algorithms, content moderation—all need human validation.

Mode's distributed user base provides exactly what AI companies pay big money for: real human interaction data across diverse global markets. Instead of expensive data labeling contractors, enterprises can access engaged users who are already interacting with content naturally.

The market size? Global AI training data services are projected to reach $17.04 billion by 2032, growing at a 24.9% CAGR. Mode is building the distribution infrastructure to capture meaningful market share.

Digital advertising's biggest problem isn't reach—it's proving engagement is real. Mode solves this by creating genuine user interaction with brand content. When someone in the Philippines spends 20 minutes engaging with a Samsung ad because they're earning $2, that's real attention that traditional programmatic advertising can't deliver.

For brands expanding into emerging markets, Mode provides what Google and Facebook can't: verified human engagement with income-dependent users who have real buying intent.

The real opportunity isn't paying Americans beer money for watching ads. It's providing meaningful income supplementation in markets where $100-300 monthly matters enormously.

Mode operates payment infrastructure in 170+ countries. They handle currency conversions, tax compliance, and local regulations. That's not a consumer app—that's fintech infrastructure that other companies will pay to access. By 2025, smartphone penetration is estimated to reach 80% globally, driven by uptake in emerging markets like Indonesia, Pakistan, and Mexico—exactly where Mode's user base is concentrated.

FROM OUR PARTNERS AT MODE MOBILE

Apple just secretly added Starlink satellite support to iPhones through iOS 18.3.

One of the biggest potential winners? Mode Mobile.*

Mode’s EarnPhone already reaches 50M+ users that have earned over $325M, and that’s before global satellite coverage. With SpaceX eliminating "dead zones" worldwide, Mode's earning technology can now reach billions more in unbanked and rural populations worldwide.

Their global expansion is perfectly timed, and you still have a chance to invest in their pre-IPO offering* before it closes. 

50,000 investors participated in Mode’s previously sold out offering and limited space remains in the current round.

With their recent 32,481% revenue growth and newly reserved Nasdaq ticker, Mode is one step closer to a potential IPO.

Join 50,000+ investors before Mode’s pre-IPO offering closes.*

Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.

The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.

In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. Mode Mobile has filed a Form C with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its offering, a copy of which may be obtained here.

As Congress returns from August recess this Tuesday, three policy streams converge to benefit distributed work platforms:

AI Regulation Push: Every proposed AI bill includes provisions for human oversight and validation. Mode's distributed human network becomes compliance infrastructure, not just consumer engagement.

Economic Anxiety Response: With recession fears building, policymakers are increasingly interested in "alternative income streams" and "economic resilience." Platforms that provide real income opportunities get regulatory support, not scrutiny.

International Trade Focus: Mode's cross-border payment infrastructure positions them perfectly for increased focus on emerging market economic engagement.

The traditional Labor Day wisdom says September crushes markets. But institutional investors are recognizing something different about distributed work infrastructure: it becomes more valuable during economic uncertainty, not less.*

When traditional jobs tighten, demand for alternative income surges. When advertising budgets get scrutinized, authentic engagement data becomes premium. When AI adoption speeds up, human validation services become critical infrastructure.

Mode trades like a consumer app but operates like B2B infrastructure. That gap creates the asymmetric opportunity.

Q4 2025 brings several catalysts that position Mode's infrastructure thesis:

AI Partnerships: As enterprises scale AI deployments, they need human feedback systems that work across multiple languages and cultures. Mode's international user base provides exactly this capability.

Telecom Integration: The whispered boardroom conversations aren't about consumer apps—they're about integrated earning capabilities directly in carrier service plans. Imagine Verizon offering "earning phone" packages where monthly device activities offset service costs.

Corporate Distribution: Those retail partnerships aren't about shelf space for physical devices. They're about integrated loyalty and engagement programs where major retailers can offer customers earning opportunities through Mode's infrastructure.

While everyone debates whether AI destroys or creates jobs, Mode is building infrastructure for the actual answer: AI changes how work gets distributed, not whether work exists.

The future isn't "AI replaces humans" or "humans stay superior." It's "AI systems need massive human feedback loops, and the infrastructure for managing that feedback globally becomes enormously valuable."

Mode isn't trying to become the next TikTok. They're building the next Stripe—payment and engagement infrastructure that other companies will pay premium rates to access.

Before markets open Tuesday:

Track emerging market regulatory developments: 75% of Mode's users are international. As governments focus on economic resilience and alternative income streams, platforms providing real income opportunities get support, not restrictions.

This Labor Day marks 143 years since American workers first demanded that labor deserves dignity and fair compensation. Today's version isn't fighting for factory conditions—it's building infrastructure that ensures human attention and intelligence remain economically valuable in an AI-driven world.

Mode Mobile represents a thesis that goes far beyond consumer rewards apps: the infrastructure for managing distributed human intelligence at global scale becomes critical business infrastructure.*

The gig economy is expected to account for 35% of the global workforce by 2025, contributing $3 trillion to global GDP. Mode isn't just riding this wave—they're building the rails that make it possible.

The contrarian insight: While everyone debates AI versus human workers, smart money is positioning around companies that build the infrastructure connecting the two.

The September edge: Remote and gig work continue expanding, with remote job postings growing 8% in Q2 2025 alone. History shows the biggest wealth transfers happen when fear peaks and smart money quietly accumulates infrastructure plays that others mistake for consumer trends.F

Your Labor Day weekend homework isn't just research—it's recognizing that the future of work infrastructure is being built right now, while conventional wisdom focuses on yesterday's employment models.

The work revolution isn't about replacing workers. It's about rewarding them properly for the value they already create. Mode Mobile is building the infrastructure to make that happen globally.

Markets may be closed, but the future of work infrastructure development isn't. Make your Labor Day research count.*