The 'That's How Mafia Works' meme originated from a series of bizarre and surreal mobile game advertisements for the strategy title 'Mafia City'. These ads frequently depicted nonsensical character progression where a protagonist would perform a trivial task to instantly jump from a 'Level 1 Crook' to a 'Level 100 Boss'. The phrase exploded into a viral catchphrase in early 2019 after being popularized by major YouTubers and internet personalities. Today, the meme is primarily used to satirize the absurdity of mobile game marketing, illogical real-life power dynamics, or to mock instances where someone gains unearned status or success through ridiculous means.