Tools for Humanity
Maker of World ID and the Orb, biometric hardware that verifies unique humans.
On the record
Checkpoint: Colombia's permanent ban on iris scanning takes full effect
The call
Tools for Humanity has real scale and hardware but is fighting bans in seven-plus countries, bribery probes, and its own admission that users are not turning into revenue.
Tools for Humanity built a system that uses eye-scanning technology to verify that people are real humans, and it has signed up 18 million users worldwide. The problem is that countries like Colombia have already banned iris scanning, Apple and Google are building their own ways to prove someone is human without needing Tools for Humanity, and the company has grown a huge user base but still cannot figure out how to make money from it. The company could survive if it can prove its enterprise partnerships actually bring in steady revenue, avoid legal trouble from bribery and fraud investigations, and keep regulators from banning it in more countries, but all three of those things are uncertain right now.
Why
01
AI pressure: None apparent. AI-generated bots and deepfakes are the reason World ID exists, so AI growth currently feeds demand rather than eating it. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Apple, Google device attestation, and national digital ID programs like India's Aadhaar and EU eIDAS. Phones and governments can verify humans without an Orb, and regulators are banning the Orb outright in several countries. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. 18 million Orb-verified humans and physical scanning hardware in 160 countries, expensive for rivals to replicate quickly.
What would change this call
Whether another country (Spain, Germany, or Brazil) issues an iris-scanning ban or restriction within the next year. Would show regulatory containment is spreading rather than stabilizing after Colombia's ban.
Whether Tools for Humanity discloses real recurring revenue from AgentKit or enterprise deals by Q4 2026. Would show the 18M-user base is finally converting to paying demand, not just signups.
Whether the Sidley Austin or O'Melveny bribery/token-manipulation probes result in SEC charges or indictments. Would show legal exposure is escalating from investigation to formal enforcement.
Whether Tools for Humanity discloses real recurring revenue from AgentKit or enterprise deals by Q4 2026. Would show the 18M-user base is finally converting to paying demand, not just signups.
Whether the Sidley Austin or O'Melveny bribery/token-manipulation probes result in SEC charges or indictments. Would show legal exposure is escalating from investigation to formal enforcement.
Key numbers
- Estimated 2024 revenue about $72M
- About 18M verified humans, 160 countries
- WLD token down 95-97% from 2024 peak
Named risks
- Regulatory bans on iris-scanning now active or permanent in 7+ countries including Colombia (finalized July 2026).
- Active bribery and token-manipulation investigations (Sidley Austin, O'Melveny, Singapore, Brazil) could trigger SEC action.
- Company has not converted 18M-plus verified users into disclosed revenue, prompting June 2026 layoffs.
- WLD token down 95-97% from its March 2024 high signals weak investor confidence in monetization.
- Non-biometric competitors (device attestation, KYC industry) could commoditize proof-of-human function.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Humanity Protocol | contesting | Reached ~$1B valuation but suffered a major hack in 2026 damaging credibility, per MEXC, July 15, 2026 |
| Pi Network | contesting | Claims ~18M verified users via its own PiVerify approach as of July 15, 2026, matching TFH's user count |
| Apple/Google device attestation | gaining on | Can verify humans without biometric hardware, structurally routing around Orb requirement |
| KYC industry (Persona, Yoti, Onfido) | gaining on | Established identity verification providers can absorb the same use case without iris scanning |
| Government digital-ID schemes (Aadhaar, eIDAS, Malaysia) | gaining on | Regulators are banning TFH's Orb in 7+ countries while advancing their own state-run ID systems |
| "Y" (Lido co-founders backed) | contesting | Social-graph identity platform explicitly positioned against World Network, announced Nov 18, 2024 |
Questions people ask
- Is Tools for Humanity profitable?
- No. TFH has publicly acknowledged difficulty converting its 18M-plus verified users into revenue, and in June 2026 it laid off 50-150 staff despite a November 2025 raise of $240M at a roughly $2.5B valuation, per Times of India, June 9, 2026.
- Did Tools for Humanity have layoffs?
- Yes. TFH cut an estimated 50-150 employees around June 8-9, 2026, the same week Sam Altman's OpenAI confidentially filed for IPO, and its CISO/Chief Architect Adrian Ludwig and Chief Legal Officer Damien Kieran also departed in 2026, per Gizmodo.
- Who owns Tools for Humanity and is it public?
- TFH is private, founded 2019 by Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern, backed by a16z, Bain Capital Crypto, Blockchain Capital and Khosla Ventures. It raised $240M at a ~$2.5B valuation in November 2025, per Times of India, June 9, 2026.
- Is Worldcoin/World ID banned in any countries?
- Yes. Colombia finalized a permanent shutdown of Worldcoin's iris-scanning operation in July 2026, joining active bans or restrictions in Spain, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Brazil and Indonesia, per FinanceColombia, July 13, 2026.
- Who is Tools for Humanity's biggest competitor?
- TFH faces proof-of-personhood rivals Humanity Protocol and Pi Network, plus structural incumbents Apple, Google device attestation, and the KYC industry (Persona, Yoti, Onfido), all of which can verify humans without Orb hardware, per MEXC, July 15, 2026.
- Is it risky to join or invest in Tools for Humanity right now?
- There are active risk signals: two law firms (Sidley Austin, O'Melveny) are probing alleged Thailand bribery and token-price manipulation, Singapore is investigating financial misconduct, and Brazil's parliamentary inquiry remains open as of June 22, 2026.
Timeline
- 2026-07-21Grayscale files SEC S-1 for Worldcoin (WLD) ETF, ticker GWLD
- 2026-07-13Colombia finalizes permanent shutdown of Worldcoin iris-scanning operations
- 2026-07-07World Foundation cuts daily WLD token unlock rate by about 42%
- 2026-06-25Singapore reported investigating potential financial misconduct at TFH
- 2026-06-22TFH hires Sidley Austin and O'Melveny to probe Thailand bribery, token manipulation
- 2026-06-10TFH unveils Concert Kit ticketing tool, pilot with Thirty Seconds to Mars 2027 tour
- 2026-06-09Layoffs hit TFH, an estimated 50-150 staff cut amid revenue struggles
- 2026-06-08OpenAI confidentially files for IPO same week as TFH layoffs news
- 2026-03-30World Network raises $135M from a16z and Bain Capital Crypto
- 2026-03-18TFH launches AgentKit beta with Coinbase to verify humans behind AI shopping agents
Revision history
21 July 2026
First assessed. Protection under test. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- $72M Est. ARR, $1B Valuation (2025-11-23)
- Is Worldcoin Still Relevant in 2026? (2026-06-19)
- Layoffs at Sam Altman's $2.5 billion startup (2026-06-09)
- Worldcoin Creator Tools for Humanity Raises $115M in Series C (2023-05-25)
- Tools For Humanity (2026-06-28)
- No! Altman's OpenAI Win Over Musk Can't Save Worldcoin Price (2026-05-19)
- Layoffs Reportedly Hit Sam Altman's Creepy Eyeball-Scanning Startup (2026-06-09)
- World launches tool to verify humans behind AI shopping agents (2026-03-18)
- The Simple Plan: Phase 3 of the Real Human Network (2026-06-10)
- Colombia Confirms the Permanent Shutdown of Worldcoin's Iris-Scanning Operation (2026-07-13)
- Tools for Humanity hired two law firms to probe bribery and financial misconduct (2026-06-22)
- Worldcoin Faces Regulatory Scrutiny (2026-06-25)