The Worldcoin Foundation, Sam Altman’s crypto startup with a vision to “drastically increase economic opportunity,” has begun expanding its services to 20 countries, more than three years after it launched.
The startup, which has raised about $250 million and counts Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and Reid Hoffman among its backers. said it is rolling out its identity technology as well as token internationally. Individuals can download the World App, the startup’s protocol-compatible wallet software, and visit an Orb, the startup’s helmet-shaped eyeball verification device, to receive their World ID.
As TechCrunch has previously pointed out, Worldcoin is perhaps one of the boldest attempts to bribe the world into embracing their currency. The startup, founded by OpenAI CEO Altman and Alex Blania, wants to put a crypto wallet (and a portion of their currency) on every person’s smartphone, but to do that they need to create a way to determine if someone is a unique human.
Worldcoin has been quietly signing up individuals in many countries, including India, giving those who come on board 25 Worldcoin tokens.
Worldcoin holds about 20% of all its tokens, which are not being launched in the US at the moment, the startup told the Financial Times.
“If successful, we believe Worldcoin can drastically increase economic opportunities, scale a reliable solution to identify people for AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes, and ultimately point a possible path to AI-funded UBI,” the startup said.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and no stranger to the world of cryptocurrency, took a swipe at Worldcoin’s mission statement, calling it “cool.”
More to follow.
