Worldcoin Struggles with Orb Shortage as Userbase Explodes

Worldcoin, a startup aiming to integrate everyone into its financial network, faces a shortage of its iris-scanning orbs due to rapid adoption. With 10 million users and high transaction volumes, the company has ramped up orb production but faces logistical challenges in managing crowds. Open-sourcing its orb design and software has gained goodwill, and its new blockchain enables free transactions for verified identities. Despite regulatory uncertainties, Worldcoin continues to grow and could potentially generate revenue through various channels.

Worldcoin Faces Orb Shortage Amid Rapid User Growth

Worldcoin, the ambitious crypto project backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, has encountered an unexpected challenge: a shortage of orbs, the devices that scan users' irises in exchange for tokens.

The issue stems from the surging popularity of Worldcoin since its launch last July. With a mission to create a universal financial network, the World App has garnered 10 million users in 160 countries and boasts over seven transactions per second,跻身全球最受欢迎的加密钱包之列。一枚 Worldcoin 目前市值约为 5.10 美元（周三上午交易价）。

Tools for Humanity, the startup behind Worldcoin, has acknowledged the orb shortage. Alex Blania, the company's CEO, stated in an interview that they have ramped up production to meet the high demand, with approximately 300 to 500 orbs currently in circulation.

Manufactured in Germany, the orbs are inconspicuous in appearance but are equipped with sophisticated sensors to prevent the creation of fraudulent "World IDs." This ensures that each digital identity is linked to a unique individual.

Worldcoin has released the orb design and software as open source, fostering goodwill within the crypto community. Last week, the company announced the creation of its own blockchain on top of the Ethereum protocol, enabling free transactions for users who verify their identity through their World IDs.

However, Tools for Humanity has opted not to distribute orbs in certain countries, including the United States, due to regulatory uncertainties. Americans can register for a World ID but will not receive coins. The biometric data collected is used to generate a unique string of numbers corresponding to an individual and is not retained by Tools for Humanity.

Although Tools for Humanity has secured funding from Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and others, a concrete business model has not yet been defined. Potential revenue streams could include Worldcoin itself or transaction fees if the protocols gain widespread adoption.

Blania initially anticipated orbs traveling worldwide to capture iris scans. However, the influx of users has resulted in people traveling to the orbs, forming queues to have their eyes scanned in exchange for an initial payment of 10 Worldcoins, followed by three Worldcoins every two weeks.

This unexpected turnout has created logistical challenges, requiring the company to hire security teams and crowd control managers. "It's much easier in some ways and more complicated in others. I didn't think we'd need to hire a strong team in every market in the early days," Blania remarked. "I thought we'd have more time."