By now it's been adopted all over Asia and expat Asian communities around the world. But not just boba (which is optional) but places that serve stuff like Hong Kong style milk tea and various styles of Japanese
I think the biggest chain in the US that serves those kind of drinks (which don't necessarily include tapioca pearls) is Quickly (from Taiwan). There was some controversy a few years ago because of a San Francisco Supervisor who apparently tried to solicit a bribe to grease the skids for someone who wanted a business permit to operate a Quickly location, but then this guy went to the FBI. The guy thought that he might help him as a normal constituent service.
Former San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew is now fighting his state sentence for perjury which he is supposed to serve in county jail.
abc7news.com
Jew was convicted on federal bribery charges of trying to extort 80,000 from the owners of Quickly tapioca drink shops who had permit problems with the city.
Security video in Jew's Chinatown flower shop captured him accepting a bribe -- $40,000 in cash.
He didn't realize the money man was working for the FBI.
I mentioned the sealed cups. I remember visiting an Asian country back in 2008 where I saw one employee at a restaurant just collecting all the excess material after the sealing machine had cut it off.