Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Token Makes Headlines With 24% Surge Amid OpenAI Drama

The narrative around Sam Altman and OpenAI seems to have had a major impact on the value of WLD, the token that Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency that Altman co-founded, is issuing.

As the drama surrounding Sam Altman’s dismissal from OpenAI and possible reinstatement continues to captivate the crypto space, the Worldcoin digital token has been one of the most unpredictable in the cryptocurrency market as of late.

As of today, the trading price of Worldcoin (WLD) has reached $2.43, indicating that the cryptocurrency has made a strong recovery. In comparison to the previous 24 hours, this is a significant gain of 19%, with an impressive 24% rally in the last week, data from crypto price aggregator Coingecko shows.

From a high of $2.50 on November 16, WLD started to weaken as digital asset markets backpedaled the next day, with Altman’s dismissal only making the decline worse. In the hours following his departure, the token dipped to $1.85 according to statistics compiled by CoinGecko.

As artificial intelligence (AI) develops at a rapid pace, Worldcoin is working on a digital identity network that will collect retina scans to verify users’ identities.

The project’s orbs collect users’ retina scans, and in return, they give users WLD tokens as a compensation for giving their biometric data.

Events at OpenAI, which Altman acted as a go-between for Worldcoin and, by extension, WLD, continue to impact WLD price, even though the two projects are unrelated.

With a market value of approximately $280 million, the token holds the 160th position in the crypto market, as reported by CoinGecko on Monday.

The surge in the token’s value is intricately linked to the news surrounding Altman and the uncertainties arising from his removal at OpenAI, according to Richard Galvin, co-founder at Digital Asset Capital Management.

As events unfolded, the token experienced a rebound, gaining momentum as it became evident that there was no significant negative event fueling the board’s decision.

Digital asset platform VDX’s head of research in Hong Kong, Greta Yuan, predicted that WLD will experience additional volatility in the coming weeks.

Altman is the face of Worldcoin, so depending on how this drama plays out in the next few days, the token may fluctuate, but its appeal to investors will not diminish, Yuan said.

Meanwhile, even though OpenAI’s stock dropped to $2.04 over the weekend after the announcement of Altman’s resignation as chief executive, the company’s efforts to reassign his role as CEO helped propel the stock back up.

(This site’s content should not be construed as investment advice. Investing involves risk. When you invest, your capital is subject to risk).

Featured image from Business Wire