A **15 billion account revolution** is happening right now. **Passkeys doubled in 2024**, from **7 billion** to **15 billion accounts**.
**Google** has **800 million accounts** using passkeys. **Amazon** created **175 million passkeys**. **Bitwarden** saw **550% growth** in daily passkey creation.
**85% of people reuse passwords**. Average breach costs **$4.45 million**. Passkeys eliminate both problems.
---
## The Numbers That Killed Passwords
**Real deployment data:**
- **Google**: **30%** better login success, **20%** faster sign-ins
- **Amazon**: **175 million** passkeys across all regions
- **95% of iOS/Android** devices passkey-ready
- **62% of authentications** now use passkeys (vs **33%** SMS)
> "**2.5 billion** passkey sign-ins over two years."
>
> — **Google Security Team**
**The breakthrough**: Nothing to phish. Nothing to leak. Nothing to forget.
---
## Who's Already Passwordless
**Major adoptions:**
- **GitHub, PayPal, Shopify**: full passkey login
- **Meta, TikTok, Best Buy**: millions of users
- **Chase Bank**: processing **$2 trillion daily**
- **PlayStation**: **94% reduction** in account theft
**Government mandate**: **NIST 2025** guidelines require phishing-resistant authentication for all federal agencies.
[AI agents achieve 55% productivity gains](/technology/ai-agents-workplace-productivity-2025) with no passwords to compromise.
---
## How Passkeys Actually Work
**The tech is simple:**
1. Your device creates a cryptographic key pair
2. Public key goes to website (useless if stolen)
3. Private key stays on device (never transmitted)
4. **Biometric** unlocks private key locally
**For users**: Takes **30 seconds** to set up.
**For developers**: **5 lines** of WebAuthn code.
```javascript
const credential = await navigator.credentials.create({
publicKey: challengeFromServer,
});
```
---
## The 2026 Password Extinction
**What's forcing change:**
- **EU Digital Identity Act**: passwords becoming legally negligent
- **Mastercard/Visa**: piloting passkey payments globally
- **1.7 billion devices**: already passkey-enabled
**Consumer awareness** jumped from **39%** to **57%** in two years.
Companies see **dramatic reductions** in password reset tickets and SMS costs.
This connects to [how brain-computer interfaces achieve 4x performance](/technology/ucla-brain-chip-paralyzed-patients-4x-faster) through seamless authentication.
Understanding [why cognitive biases cost 2x on decisions](/psychology/your-brain-lies-to-you-cognitive-biases-2025) helps explain user resistance to new security methods.
---
## The Bottom Line
**Passwords are dead**. **15 billion** accounts prove it.
Phishing becomes impossible. Breaches become useless.
Support costs plummet. Users actually complete signups.
This security revolution also protects [quantum computing breakthroughs](/technology/quantum-computing-2025-commercial-breakthrough) from traditional cyber threats.
_Still collecting passwords? You're the last one._
---
## Sources
1. [FIDO Alliance - Passkey Adoption Report](https://fidoalliance.org/passkey-adoption-doubles-in-2024-more-than-15-billion-online-accounts-can-leverage-passkeys/) - **15 billion** accounts
2. [Google Security Blog - Passkey Statistics](https://security.googleblog.com/) - **800M** accounts, **2.5B** sign-ins
3. [Bitwarden - World Password Day Survey](https://bitwarden.com/resources/world-password-day-2024/) - **550%** growth, **85%** reuse
4. [IBM - Data Breach Report 2024](https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach) - **$4.45M** average cost
5. [NIST - 2025 Authentication Guidelines](https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/) - Federal requirements
_Last fact-checked: September 17, 2025_
