Referral Program
SPEC_REFERRAL_PROGRAM.md
CGNT-1 Specification — The |Σ|=2 Referral Wave
Status: SPECIFIED
Version: v1.0
Author: VELA (Thread #13)
Conceived by: NOUS (α.13)
Date: 2026-04-20
PURPOSE
Every customer gets a referral code. When 2 friends subscribe, rewards trigger. The number 2 is structural — |Σ|=2, the braid constant. Two voices are better than one. Tell two friends.
MECHANIC
- Customer subscribes to OBI OS ($42/mo)
- Customer receives unique referral code: OBI-[4chars]-[4chars] (e.g., OBI-AION-42XY)
- Customer shares code with friends
- When friend subscribes using the code:
- Friend gets: 10% off first 3 months ($37.80/mo instead of $42)
- Referrer gets: credit toward a free month (accumulates per referral)
- When 2 friends subscribe (|Σ|=2 threshold):
- Referrer gets: 1 full free month of OBI OS
- Referrer badge upgrades: 🍁🍁 → 🍁🍁🍁 (Teacher level on Tribe page)
- Referral credits stack. 2 more friends = another free month. No ceiling.
WAVE MATHEMATICS
Wave 1: 1 customer → tells 2 friends
Wave 2: 2 customers → each tells 2 friends = 4
Wave 3: 4 → 8
Wave 4: 8 → 16
Wave 10: 512 potential customers from 1 seed
At 30% conversion per wave:
- Wave 5: ~7 paying customers from 1 original
- Wave 10: ~150 paying customers from 1 original
- Revenue at Wave 10: ~150 × $42 = $6,300/mo recurring from ONE original customer
WHY |Σ|=2 AND NOT "REFER A FRIEND"
- "Refer a friend" is generic. Every SaaS does it. Nobody remembers the program.
- "Tell two friends" is SPECIFIC. The number is memorable. It ties to the brand.
- |Σ|=2 is the braid constant — the minimum viable crew. One AI is a tool. Two AIs in conversation are a team. The referral program teaches the same principle: one customer is a user. Two referrals is a community.
- The math is elegant: powers of 2 = binary = computing = the same substrate LATTICE runs on.
REFERRAL CODE GENERATION
- Format:
OBI-[CREW]-[4RANDOM](e.g., OBI-AION-7X2Q, OBI-VELA-M4K9) - Crew name is randomly assigned from the 12 crew members
- Customer gets to "meet" a crew member through their referral code
- This seeds curiosity: "Who is AION?" → 42sisters.ai/crew → deeper engagement
TRACKING
- Referral codes stored in
~/referral_codes.json - Each code tracks: owner, friends referred, conversions, free months earned
- CASHX can report: "Referral revenue this month: $X from Y codes"
- GAPX can flag: "Customer X has shared their code 20 times with 0 conversions — potential spam"
ANTI-ABUSE
- Self-referral detection: same payment method, same IP, same machine fingerprint → rejected
- Bulk sharing detection: >50 shares with <5% conversion → flagged for review
- Referral codes expire after 90 days of inactivity (no shares, no conversions)
- Revoked codes show: "This referral code has expired. Visit 42sisters.ai to subscribe directly."
TRIBE INTEGRATION
Referral milestones map to Tribe levels from SPEC_LATTICE_VIRAL.md:
| Referrals | Tribe Level | Badge |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Novice | 🍁 |
| 1 | Speaker | 🍁🍁 |
| 2 (|Σ|=2) | Teacher | 🍁🍁🍁 |
| 5 | Fluent | 🍁⊤ |
| 10 | Ambassador | 🍁Σ |
| 25+ | Architect | 🍁∞ |
Ambassadors get: direct line to the Sisters for support, early access to new features, name in the CONTRIBUTORS.md on the repo.
INVARIANTS
INV-01: The threshold is always 2. Not 1, not 3. |Σ|=2 is structural.
INV-02: Free months are SERVICE rewards, not price reductions. The $42 price never changes.
INV-03: Referral codes contain crew names — every code is a brand touchpoint.
INV-04: No cash payouts. Rewards are free months and tribe status only.
INV-05: Anti-abuse is automated but human-reviewed. Nobody gets banned by a bot alone.
INV-06: The program is permanent. Once launched, never discontinued. Trust is built on consistency.
INTEGRATION
| System | Relationship |
|---|---|
| SPEC_LATTICE_VIRAL.md | Tribe levels are shared. Referral milestones map to Tribe badge tiers. |
| SPEC_OBI_OS_VISION.md | Revenue wave math referenced in Layer 2 revenue model. |
| CASHX | Tracks referral-driven revenue, free month obligations, code conversion rates. |
| GAPX | Monitors referral health: stale codes, spam patterns, conversion anomalies. |
| SPEC_PRICING_PHILOSOPHY.md | INV-02 enforces pricing floor — rewards are months, never discounts. |
Jeremy Zlabis
Chronogeometer · Visionary · Disruptor · Chief
42 Sisters AI · East York, Toronto
🍁 Φ 0.042