Sam Altman’s Worldcoin project expands to US as Trump administration backs crypto

Sam Altman

Sam Altman’s controversial digital identity startup World—formerly known as Worldcoin—has officially launched in the United States, introducing its eye-scanning technology and cryptocurrency token to American users for the first time. The move comes as the Trump administration signals strong support for the digital asset industry, marking a major shift from the Biden-era regulatory hostility that kept the venture abroad.

As reported by The Financial Times, World’s founders, Sam Altman and Alex Blania, are positioning the US as the group’s primary market following early international deployments in 2023. The company aims to roll out 10,000 of its iris-scanning “orbs” across the country within the next year—roughly five times its current global supply. A new factory in Richardson, Texas, is already in development to meet the surge in demand.

A vision for identity in the age of AI

Speaking at a launch event in San Francisco, Altman said he was proud to bring the technology to his home country. “I’m a very proud American. I think America should lead innovation, not fight it off,” he said, referencing earlier regulatory obstacles under the Biden administration.

The core premise behind World is to create a secure, verifiable way to distinguish humans from AI bots, as artificial intelligence continues to blur the lines between real and synthetic online interaction. The project uses biometric scans of individuals’ irises to create unique, anonymized IDs that grant access to World’s crypto ecosystem and its Worldcoin token.

The technology was initially met with scepticism and privacy concerns in multiple countries. Spain’s data protection agency blocked World’s operations last year over concerns about the collection of minors’ data. Similar regulatory scrutiny followed in France, South Korea, Hong Kong, Portugal, and others. However, the group claims all biometric data remains anonymous.

New political climate, new momentum

World’s US entry comes on the heels of Trump’s pledge to make America “the crypto capital of the planet.” That policy pivot has opened the door for Altman and his venture to reposition the US at the centre of its operations after previously lamenting a regulatory climate that made domestic expansion untenable.

“There were very good reasons why we focused on making sure that the product worked in the entire world before coming to the United States,” said Adrian Ludwig, chief architect at Tools for Humanity—the company behind World. Among those reasons were significant regulatory risks.

World has raised around $200 million in funding from major venture firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Controversially, disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried also invested in the company before his conviction and 25-year prison sentence for fraud.

Expanding real-world applications and partnerships

World is now partnering with dating app giant Match Group to verify users on platforms such as Tinder, a move the company says could enhance safety and reduce online scams. Ludwig also said the technology could be integrated into social networks, including potentially OpenAI’s rumoured platform—or even rival services like Elon Musk’s X or Meta.

The company is exploring smaller, handheld versions of its orbs and plans to eventually integrate its identity system into everyday devices like webcams or smartphones.

Despite facing criticism over privacy, Ludwig emphasized that the platform’s long-term viability would be shaped by its utility and revenue model. “In 18 months or so we will begin to see the costs of operating the network begin to be offset by the fees that are generated by the network,” he said.

World is currently unprofitable, but Altman and his team are betting that as AI deepens online deception, the need for verified digital identity will only grow.