As OpenAI files for IPO, Sam Altman’s eye-scanning company is doing layoffs, report says
OpenAI has confidentially filed for an IPO, while Sam Altman’s World-related company Tools for Humanity is reportedly laying off workers.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
TechCrunch pairs two Altman-linked developments: OpenAI moving toward a public offering and Tools for Humanity, the company behind World and its eyeball-scanning orb, reportedly cutting staff as it struggles to make money.
One of Sam Altman’s companies is trying to prove people are real by scanning their eyes, like using a special fingerprint for the face. But it is reportedly cutting jobs because it is having trouble making money, while some places have worried about privacy.
Analysis
OpenAI’s confidential IPO filing is the bigger headline, but this brief uses it as a contrast point for another Sam Altman-led effort that is moving in the opposite direction. According to TechCrunch, Tools for Humanity, the company behind World and its eye-scanning verification device, is reportedly laying off workers.
The article says the company’s core pitch is to verify people by scanning irises so it can distinguish humans from bots in a more automated internet. It also says the same identity system is meant to support trading in Worldcoin, the company’s cryptocurrency. That idea has drawn money from major investors, with TechCrunch citing a $2.5 billion valuation and backing from firms such as Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital.
But the report frames the business as struggling to generate revenue. It also points to continuing regulatory and ethical problems. In Kenya, India, and Hong Kong, people were reportedly offered the equivalent of $50 in Worldcoin for their biometric data. Kenya later banned World from operating there over privacy and financial concerns, and South Korea fined the company $830,000 for alleged privacy-law violations.
The brief does not confirm the layoffs directly; TechCrunch says it reached out to the company for comment. Still, the piece presents the reported downsizing as another sign that the company’s ambitions have run ahead of public trust and commercial traction.
Key points
- OpenAI confidentially filed for an IPO, according to the report.
- Tools for Humanity is reportedly laying off employees.
- The company is behind World and its eye-scanning orb for identity verification.
- The article says the project has faced privacy and regulatory pushback in multiple countries.
- TechCrunch says the company has struggled to create revenue.
If Tools for Humanity can cut costs and rebuild trust, it may narrow its focus enough to find a real use for its identity system. The article also suggests it already has major investor support and partnerships that could help if the product becomes more practical.
The layoffs may be a sign that the company has not found a durable business model. Ongoing privacy complaints, fines, and bans could keep limiting adoption if people and regulators continue to resist biometric data collection.
