Worldcoin, the controversial cryptocurrency startup co-founded by Sam Altman, has announced a significant rebranding. The company has dropped the “coin” from its name, officially becoming “World.” This shift coincides with the launch of its next-generation iris-scanning “Orb” and other tools.
The decision to drop “coin” from its name suggests a potential shift in focus for the company, which initially gained notoriety for its unique proof-of-personhood system involving iris scanning. While the founders have always maintained that iris scanning was not a prerequisite for obtaining Worldcoins, the rebranding could signal a broader vision beyond cryptocurrency.
In a press conference, World CEO Alex Blania emphasized the independence of World’s mission from OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research company also co-founded by Altman. However, Blania did not rule out the possibility of integrating World’s cryptocurrency into ChatGPT in the future.
“Sam Altman is a co-founder and has been involved from the beginning,” Blania said. “We talk a couple of times a week and he’s involved in all the decisions. Of course, he’s focused on OpenAI, but I think World’s success is not tied to OpenAI at all. These are two very separate missions, and I think what we built here is very important infrastructure for the world.”
