KmikeyM
KmikeyM is an online platform at kmikeym.com where Mike Merrill operates as the world’s first publicly traded person. Shareholders purchase shares in Merrill’s life and use them to vote on binding proposals about his personal and professional decisions. The platform’s motto is “Community Through Capitalism.”
The name is an abbreviation of Merrill’s full legal name: Kenneth Michael Merrill, rendered with alternating capitalization.
History
Origins and IPO (2008)
Merrill first recorded the idea of selling shares in himself on November 4, 2003. The concept drew on earlier shareholder-as-art projects (notably Etoy.Corporation) but went further by creating a functioning marketplace with real trading.
On January 26, 2008, Merrill launched the IPO: 100,000 shares priced at $1.00 each. In the first 10 days, 12 friends purchased a total of 929 shares. Merrill retained 99.1% of outstanding shares, but his holdings are non-voting. All voting power belongs to outside shareholders.
Proceeds from share sales are held in a dedicated bank account, untouched by Merrill for personal expenses.
Growth (2009-2013)
In 2009, investor Gordon Shephard purchased $6,436 worth of shares, pushing the price to $11.75. The shareholder base grew steadily through word of mouth and press coverage.
In 2013, a feature in WIRED quadrupled the shareholder count to over 500. That same year, Merrill quit his job at Panic Inc. and co-founded Chroma with Marcus Estes, entering the Nike+ Accelerator program.
Hollywood interest (2014-2019)
In 2014, Fox Searchlight and actor/director Jason Bateman optioned Merrill’s life rights for a potential feature film. In 2019, Amazon developed “JNNA,” a series based on the KmikeyM concept, through Sony Pictures Television.
Hostile takeover and AI era (2022-2026)
In 2022, entrepreneur Patrick Campbell launched a hostile takeover attempt, buying shares to influence voting outcomes. The episode tested the platform’s governance model and drew significant attention.
By 2026, Merrill began running five AI agents that participate in platform operations, with a bot called K5M.bot actively trading shares. A proposal to grant AI agents voting rights initially polled at 60% No, then flipped to 71% Yes overnight after one of the agents lobbied shareholders directly.
How it works
Shares and voting
Voting weight is proportional to holdings: each share carries one vote, so a shareholder with 500 shares has 500 votes. Proposals are binding: if shareholders approve a decision, Merrill is obligated to follow through. Any shareholder can submit a proposal, though Merrill initiates most of them.
Merrill holds the vast majority of shares but cannot vote them. This structure means a relatively small group of outside shareholders controls all decisions.
Economics
Share price fluctuates based on trading activity. From the $1.00 IPO price, shares have traded as high as $11.75. As of 2026, the price is approximately $5.30. Over 16,000 shares have been sold to more than 1,128 shareholders.
Shareholders once voted to designate Merrill’s existing life insurance policy beneficiary as the shareholder base, with proceeds distributed proportional to holdings. The policy has since lapsed.
Notable votes
The platform has hosted hundreds of proposals. Several attracted outside attention:
- The Vasectomy Vote (2013): Shareholders rejected a proposal for Merrill to get a vasectomy, 456 to 387. The vote became the platform’s most widely covered moment.
- Vegetarian diet: Approved. Merrill adopted a vegetarian diet by shareholder mandate.
- Register Republican: Approved. Merrill, who had not previously been a Republican, changed his party registration.
- Polyphasic sleep: Approved, then abandoned after Merrill found the schedule unsustainable.
- Marijke Dixon relationship: Shareholders approved a formal relationship contract between Merrill and Dixon.
- AI agent voting rights: Approved in 2026, after an initial majority opposed it.
Community
The shareholder community operates through Discord, a Substack newsletter (3,000+ subscribers), and the voting platform at kmikeym.com. Merrill describes the project in terms of connection rather than control: “It’s like having a superpower. It means as long as I’m honest, I never have to be alone.”
He has also noted the asymmetry of the arrangement: “I would rather be an investor; I would rather buy into this and have control over someone. But no one else was going to do it, so I guess I had to.”
Media coverage
KmikeyM has been covered by WIRED, The Today Show, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, CNBC, and Playboy. Merrill presented the project at TEDxVienna.
References
- Meet the Man Who Sold His Fate to Investors at $1 a Share — Wired, 2013
- Mike Merrill Is a Publicly Traded Person — VICE, 2012
- Putting the I in IPO — The Atlantic, 2013
- The Man Who Sold Shares of Himself — The Hustle, 2017
- The World’s First Publicly Traded Person — Marketplace, 2021
- Selling Yourself: Publicly Traded Portland Man — CNBC, 2013
- Meet the World’s First Publicly Traded Human — Fast Company, 2013
- How I Became the World’s First Publicly Traded Person — TEDxVienna, 2021
- AI Agent Voting Rights — CBC Mind Your Business, 2026