One of the three Wise Men, and the most flashy of the three. He also, perhaps incongruously, loves and collects artifacts in his private Ochre Library. It is Bailey who most firmly believes in all people having access to all information, and he becomes close with Mae after her nighttime kayak, turning it into an opportunity for her to go publicly transparent. One of the three Wise Men and the public face of the Circle. As the story progresses, he attempts to warn Mae of the dangers of the Circle's Completion that she is assisting in bringing about. He takes an interest in Mae but will not reveal his true identity to her, going by the name Kalden and wearing different clothes (and revealing his prematurely gray hair) as their relationship becomes sexual. He is aloof and mysterious and known for wearing laid-back attire and hoodies. He created TruYou, which combines all of one's online accounts into one identity for all interactions. Ty Gospodinov is one of the three Wise Men and the original visionary of the Circle. Mae's old boss at 3B-East, the gas and electric utility. The Circle employee who first shows Mae around campus. It is she who secures Mae a job, but she feels threatened after Mae's quick success within the company. Annie works long hours and is incredibly cheerful yet goal-oriented. She is high up in the Circle - in the Gang of 40 - and specializes in international law. Annie comes from a wealthy family with a long, but sordid, history in the United States.

Mae's best friend and coworker at the Circle. Once she goes transparent, being watched all day by anyone who tunes in, she becomes increasingly superficial, and she puts aside the irresponsible days of youth and becomes a world-renowned model of external virtue. As she gets sucked into the cult of the Circle, she loses her identity and outside relationships and becomes more and more like a robot. A recent college graduate and native of Longfield, California, Mae is a quick study who rapidly rises in the ranks at the Circle.

Eggers dave the circle