There's a new king in crypto salaries. USDC is replacing USDT, and this is more significant than it seems.

A report by Pantera Capital has recorded a fundamental shift in how the crypto industry pays its employees. Over the past year, the share of professionals receiving salaries in digital assets has tripled, but the real story lies in the details: Circle's USDC stablecoin has confidently displaced its main competitor, Tether's USDT, as the preferred means of payment.
This trend is not just a shift from one “digital dollar” to another. It is a marker of the maturity and professionalization of the entire industry.

Infrastructure is more important than hype
At first glance, the dominance of USDC (63% of payroll payments versus 28.6% for USDT) seems paradoxical, given that USDT's trading volumes are still higher. However, the answer lies not in trading, but in corporate infrastructure.
Key payroll providers serving technology and crypto companies, such as Deel, Remote, and Rippling, have integrated USDC into their systems. Their refusal to work with USDT is likely due to regulatory transparency issues and reputational risks that have historically surrounded Tether. Companies paying official salaries choose an asset that is perceived as more reliable and compliant with regulatory requirements. This is a strategic choice in favor of stability rather than speculative popularity.

The new crypto-labor economy
The report also highlighted several key trends in the industry's economy:

1. Practice beats theory: In the blockchain sphere, practical experience is valued more highly than formal education. Specialists with a bachelor's degree earn significantly more ($286,039) on average than those with master's ($214,359) and doctoral ($226,858) degrees. The industry pays for real skills, not diplomas.
2. Engineers on the rise: Salaries for technical specialists, especially entry-level and mid-level, have shown impressive growth (25.6% and 14.5%, respectively), indicating an acute shortage of qualified personnel.
3. Back to the office? Although remote work remains the norm (82%), the share of employees working in the office on a permanent basis has quadrupled in a year, from 1.5% to 6%. This may signal the gradual emergence of more traditional corporate structures within leading companies.

Thus, the choice of USDC as a “salary” standard is not a coincidence, but a reflection of a deep trend toward the legitimization of the crypto sector. The industry is moving from the “Wild West” era to building a stable and predictable financial system, and the choice of tools for this speaks for itself.