OpenAI's Sam Altman Tells Joe Rogan That US Is Waging ``War on Crypto''

OpenAI’s Sam Altman Tells Joe Rogan That US Is Waging “War on Crypto”

Updated: 10 October 2023

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Worldcoin founder and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Joe Rogan that the US government is waging ”war” on the crypto industry.

“There are many things that I’m disappointed that the U.S. government has done recently, but the war on crypto — which I think is a like, we can’t give this up, like we’re going to control this and all that — that’s the thing that makes me quite sad about the country,” Altman told the Joe Rogan podcast.

Sam Altman Worried About Surveillance State

Altman also said he’s worried about the expansion of the surveillance state and the need for a delicate balance between innovation and privacy.

“I am very worried about how far the surveillance state could go here,” he said. “But in a world where payments, for example, are no longer bags of cash but done somehow digitally, somebody, even if you’re using Bitcoin, can watch those flows. I think that’s a corruption-reducing thing.”

One of the aspects of cryptocurrency that Altman said is problematic is the potential for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to be tied to social credit scores, which may compromise privacy and individual freedoms, he said.

Sam Altman On The Role of Regulation

Still, he said isn’t completely anti-regulation, and cited the collapse of FTX as an example of why some rules are needed.

“But I think there’s an important point here, which is you have all of this other regulation… and it didn’t keep us safe,” he said.

He suggests that it’s crucial to create regulations that can genuinely protect investors and the market’s stability.

Altman’s vision for the future of cryptocurrency is one in which financial transactions are conducted digitally and the potential implication it would have on the financial system.

Worldcoin’s Controversial ID Verification Process

Altman, one of the key figures behind the Worldcoin project, emphasized the importance of having a global currency that operates independently of government control. He believes this is a logical and crucial step in technology and finance.

“I helped start a project called Worldcoin a few years ago,” he said. “And so I’ve gotten to learn more about the space. I’m excited about it for the same reason I’m excited about Bitcoin, too. I think this idea that we have a global currency that is outside the control of the government is a super logical and important step on the tech tree,” he said.