--- title: "Sam Altman Is Running Out of Orbs" description: "Eyeball-scanning orbs are not a dime a dozen — and now, the Sam Altman-backed crypto startup Worldcoin is running out of them. " date: "2024-04-26" modified: "2024-04-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sam-altman-running-out-orbs" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" tags: - "regulation" - "sam altman" - "the digest" - "worldcoin" --- # Sam Altman Is Running Out of Orbs ![Eyeball-scanning orbs are not a dime a dozen — and now, the Sam Altman-backed crypto startup Worldcoin is running out of them. ]() *\Image: Juan Mabromata / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* ## Orb Ouchies Eyeball-scanning orbs are, apparently, not a dime a dozen — and now, a Sam Altman-backed crypto startup is running out of them. As [*Semafor* reports](), the Altman-backed Worldcoin crypto startup, which uses bespoke metallic orbs to scan one's iris and verify their identity, is running low on the spherical devices after giving out somewhere between 300 and 500 of them. This news, as the site notes, has been confirmed by Alex Blania, the CEO of the Tools for Humanity startup that acts as Worldcoin's parent firm. Launched with the help of the OpenAI CEO last year, Worldcoin made waves with its unique proposal: scanning your eyeball with its orbs, which are roughly the size of a kiddie bowling ball, to verify that you are indeed human, and give you some crypto in exchange. There was, as with everything else in late-stage capitalism, a catch: Americans who volunteered to have their irises scanned were not able to get crypto because of federal regulations, so those who did — [including this *Futurism* reporter]() — were compensated solely with bragging rights and a very unique photo. ![]() ## Queue Up Blania told *Semafor* that he expected the orbs, which are manufactured in a single German factory that he declined to name, to travel around the world. Instead, people began traveling *to* the orbs in hopes of getting free crypto, leading to [huge lines]() as people [queued up]() to get their eyeballs scanned. Despite [being investigated]() by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom over its allegedly shoddy [privacy protocols]() and being straight-up [banned in Kenya]() for the same reason, Worldcoin orbs have seemingly proliferated to the point that there's now a shortage. Never bet against free money! Earlier this month, a man claiming to live in Kenya — which, again, has banned the startup and its currency, though it would be easy enough to circumvent that with a VPN — said on X-formerly-Twitter that he'd used Worldcoin to [buy a goat for Easter](). Once crypto Twitter got a hold of the man's claim, people began [sending him more money]() to buy more goats, which he did with aplomb. https://twitter.com/OpanyRichard/status/1782362410067587583 While it remains unclear how the alleged Kenyan was able to obtain the currency if Worldcoin was banned in his country, the yarn also demonstrated that Worldcoin is somewhat flourishing despite its regulatory issues. As *Semafor* points out, its lack of a business plan is also inscrutable. (It's reportedly eyeing a partnership with OpenAI, [*Bloomberg* reports]() — though that does seem a bit incestuous, if you ask us.) Now that it's running out of orbs, it's hard to say how much further this controversial Altman startup can go — but it would be nice to finally get some money for letting it scan my eyeballs last summer, dammit. **More on crypto:** [*Sam Bankman-Fried Turns on Celebrities Who Promoted FTX to Gullible Fans*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()