Re: Can someone tell me why Venmo is a thing?
As for why it's a thing, the various problems with cash have been noted. One could write checks, and that would work most of the time, except that people in general seem to dislike them and prefer paying by card. Venmo provides a method for people to use payment cards to pay individuals. Whether that's important depends on the local alternatives, but the success of Venmo even though it charges a small fee per transaction shows that it provides a service useful for some.
As for why it's public, I have no earthly idea. I didn't think that was the case. It seemed really stupid to me, with no perceivable benefit and requiring the Venmo people to spend a little time on a public interface for viewing them. No idea whatsoever who made that decision and what exactly is wrong with them.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
