Wall Street Millennial
June 11, 2026
Worldcoin's Failed Expansion: Scams, Botched Partnerships, and Collapse
TL;DR
Worldcoin, Sam Altman's cryptocurrency project using iris-scanning orbs, has failed to gain adoption, lost 80% of its value, and been exposed for false partnership claims with Bruno Mars and Ticketmaster.
Key Takeaways
- 1Worldcoin requires users to scan their irises at physical orbs to receive WLD tokens, raising privacy and dystopian control concerns
- 2The project has achieved near-zero real-world adoption; the WLD token has lost 80% of its value since launch in 2023
- 3Partnership with Tinder in Japan provides minimal practical benefit over existing identity verification methods already in use
- 4Worldcoin falsely claimed partnerships with Bruno Mars and Ticketmaster, then retracted statements after public denials
- 5Only 30,000 people have been scanned across Japan despite a 100+ million population, demonstrating massive failure of the rollout strategy
- 6The token's collapse is driven by inflation from newly minted coins paid to scan participants outpacing deflation from minimal business adoption
Notable Quotes
“If Sam Alman has his way, the majority of people in the world will be registered with World ID. And the majority of businesses will require their customers to verify themselves with World ID.”
— Wall Street Millennial
“A Ticket Master spokesperson told IQ magazine that I was blindsided by WorldCoin's announcement. They had no intention of integrating World ID.”
— Ticketmaster spokesperson
“World ID can only work if the majority of people sign up for it. If we as a society reject Alman's creepy World Coin scam, we can prevent him from achieving the dystopian future he wants to impose upon us.”
— Wall Street Millennial
Chapters
1. What is Worldcoin?
Worldcoin is a cryptocurrency project by Sam Altman's Tools for Humanity that uses iris-scanning orbs to issue World ID tokens. Users get their eyes scanned, receive WLD tokens, and can use a World ID for identity verification on platforms like dating apps and ticketing systems.
2. Tinder Partnership in Japan
Worldcoin partnered with Match Group to deploy World ID on Tinder in Japan, where dating apps must verify users are 18+. While Tinder claims success, the integration saves only minutes compared to existing verification methods, and adoption numbers remain undisclosed and likely minimal.
3. Medirom Massage Chain Deployment
Worldcoin partnered with failing Japanese massage parlor chain Medirom to deploy orbs. Only 30,000 people have been scanned across all locations despite Japan's 100+ million population, suggesting retailers avoided Worldcoin due to reputational risk.
4. False Partnership Announcements
Worldcoin announced Concert Kit for ticket verification, falsely claiming partnership with Bruno Mars and integration with Ticketmaster. Both Bruno Mars/Live Nation and Ticketmaster publicly denied involvement, forcing Worldcoin to retract statements.
5. Token Economics and Project Failure
Worldcoin's token has lost 80% of value since launch. Inflationary pressure from millions of newly minted coins paid to users exceeds deflationary pressure from minimal business adoption fees, explaining the price collapse.
6. Concerns and Call to Action
The project is criticized as dystopian and creepy, designed to create mandatory iris-scanning registration. The speaker urges communities to reject Worldcoin, warn others not to participate, and prevent the normalization of biometric data control by Altman.
Key People & Entities
- Sam Altman
- CEO of OpenAI and co-founder of Worldcoin's parent company Tools for Humanity
- Tools for Humanity
- For-profit company that created Worldcoin and manufactures iris-scanning orbs
- Match Group
- Parent company of Tinder and Hinge; partnered with Worldcoin to pilot World ID verification
- Medirom
- Japanese massage parlor chain that deployed Worldcoin orbs at their locations; stock price collapsed over 90% since 2020 IPO
- Ticketmaster
- Major ticketing platform that publicly denied any integration partnership with Worldcoin's Concert Kit
- 30 Seconds to Mars
- Obscure rock band with actual Concert Kit partnership; confused with Bruno Mars in false announcement
Glossary
- World ID
- A unique identifier issued after iris scanning that verifies a user is a real human and can be used for identity verification on platforms like dating apps and ticketing systems
- Worldcoin (WLD)
- A cryptocurrency created by Tools for Humanity that is distributed to users who undergo iris scanning at physical orbs
- Orb
- A large, sphere-shaped device containing high-resolution cameras deployed by Worldcoin to scan users' irises for World ID verification
- Tools for Humanity
- A for-profit company co-founded by Sam Altman that created Worldcoin and manufactures the iris-scanning orbs
- Concert Kit
- Worldcoin's product designed to prevent automated ticket scalping by verifying that ticket buyers are verified humans through World ID