Sam Altman, o now former CEO of OpenAIhas stepped down from his role and is stepping down from its board, according to the company Position the manufacture. However, questions about his role in other entities such as Worldcoin, the crypto project he co-founded, remain in the air as his allusion to the news.
Worldcoin token WLD down more than 13% on the day to $1.91, CoinMarketCap data shown. When asked about Altman’s future at Worldcoin or his future plans, Worldcoin did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Altman’s crypto project raised $115 million in May in a Series C round led by Blockchain Capital. In March, TechCrunch reported that Altman was on Worldcoin’s board but was not involved in “day-to-day” operations.
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Worldcoin acquires users by scanning irises through its Orb, which then assigns users an “iris code” or “World ID” that grants users access to the project’s app and provides them with a “digital passport,” said Tiago Sada, head of product for Tools for Humanity and key partner of Worldcoin, said on TechCrunch’s Chain Reaction podcast In September. The verification process is supposed to allow people to prove their identity, and the iris code is used to make sure they don’t go and get another one.
In August, Worldcoin faced pushback from countries including Kenya, which stopped the project from scanning more of its citizens’ eyeballs (and the project ignored initial orders). Worldcoin has faced backlash from critics, who claim the company is targeting developing economies. The project gives most participants (outside the US and some other countries) 25 WLD tokens, worth about $48, in exchange for signing up, which could be seen as exploitative.
Sada said that giving away the free tokens and moving to developing countries was fair because most projects, especially in crypto and technology, focus on emerging markets, as “those are the easiest to operate.”
While OpenAI said on Friday that the board “is no longer trusted [Altman’s] ability to continue to lead” the company, its statement did not fully explain why Altman was fired or where he stands with other related organizations, such as Worldcoin.
Worldcoin’s app has more than four million downloads and “more than double” its active users worldwide, according to a suspension from the beginning of November. There are more than 2.4 million “unique people” on Worldcoin, and in the most recent seven days at the time of writing, there have been about 53,800 new accounts and over 59,000 daily wallet transactions, according to company data. Website.
