Sam Altman, the now former CEO of OpenAI has left his position and is leaving the board of directors. But questions about his role in other entities like Worldcoin, the crypto project he co-founded, remain in the air as his token appears in the news.
Worldcoin token WLD fell more than 13% on the day, to $1,91, according to CoinMarketCap data. When asked about Altman's future at Worldcoin or his plans for the future, Worldcoin did not respond.
Altman's Crypto Project Raised $115 Million in May Round Serie C led by Blockchain Capital. In March, it was reported that Altman was on Worldcoin's board of directors, but is not involved in "day-to-day" operations.
Worldcoin obtains users by scanning irises through its Orb, which then assigns them an “iris code” or “world ID” that grants them access to the projects app and provides them with “a digital passport,” explained Tiago Sada, head Tools for Humanity Product Manager and Worldcoin Top Contributor in September. The verification process supposedly allows people to prove their identity, and the iris code is used to ensure this.
In August, Worldcoin faced pushback from countries, including Kenya, which prevented the project from scanning any more eyeballs of their citizens (and the project ignored initial orders). Worldcoin has faced negative reactions from critics, who allege that the company is targeting developing economies. The project offers most participants (outside the US and some other countries) 25 WLD tokens, worth around $48, in exchange for signing up, which could be considered exploitative.
Sada said that giving away tokens and going 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 stated on Friday that the board “no longer has confidence in Altman and his ability to continue to lead” the company, its statement does not fully explain why. Altman was fired or what his position is regarding other related organizations, such as Worldcoin.
The Worldcoin app has more than four million downloads and its active users are “more than double” worldwide, according to a report. entry in your blog since the beginning of November. There are more than 2,4 million “unique humans” on Worldcoin and in the last seven days, around 53,800 new accounts have been created and more than 59,000 daily wallet transactions have been made, according to the company's report in its websites.
