Yesterday, the company behind the Sam Altman-fronted Worldcoin project announced it had raised $115 million dollars in venture capital. The raise looks like an atavistic last gasp for the kind of prestige-driven, slot-machine structured Silicon Valley fundraising fostered by a decade of cheap money. Because whether on ethical or financial grounds, there seems little rational explanation for supporting the project.
To review, Worldcoin’s pitch is essentially twofold. At its core is The Orb, a device that scans the retinas of users, so they can later confirm their identity online. The Worldcoin token, in turn, is intended to be distributed as a form of “universal basic income” (UBI) and is currently being offered as an incentive for early eyeball-scan volunteers.
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