Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI, is currently serving as chairperson of developer Tools for Humanity at Worldcoin, a crypto company he co-founded. Despite the recent turmoil at OpenAI, it has been reported that Altman’s role at Worldcoin is not expected to change.
Worldcoin’s Vision for Universal Basic Income
Worldcoin, which gained significant attention in 2021, aims to verify a person’s “personhood” by scanning their iris and rewarding them with a proprietary crypto token. Altman, along with co-founder Max Novendstern and CEO Alex Blania, established the company in 2020, leveraging Altman’s experience as the former president of startup accelerator Y Combinator.
The ultimate goal of Worldcoin is to create a future universal basic income program, where individuals worldwide are eligible for regular payments. The concept behind this model is to distribute the benefits of technological advancements to as many people as possible, especially in a future where AI may potentially replace human jobs.
Impact of Altman’s Status on Worldcoin
Altman’s departure as CEO of OpenAI had an impact on the token price of Worldcoin. The announcement triggered a sharp decline in the value of the token. However, the price saw an uptick when Altman announced his association with Microsoft.
“I’m glad that he’s going to continue and that this is not a conflict,” said David Pakman, a managing partner at crypto-focused VC firm CoinFund.
“At least thus far, I’m glad that he’s been, I would say, largely untarnished by this weekend’s episode.”
Despite the fluctuations in the token price, Altman’s role at Worldcoin is considered critical and investors see his association with the project as a positive factor.
As of early November, Worldcoin’s app had already garnered 4 million users. The project continues to progress towards its goals, overcoming challenges and controversies. Altman’s position remains intact.
“We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO,” revealed OpenAI in a recent post.
“The new initial board will consist of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.”
The decision for Altman to return to OpenAI was made following immense pressure from employees and investors who expressed their support for him. In a letter, hundreds of employees, including co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever, stated their intention to work with Altman at Microsoft if the board didn’t resign and bring him back.
