Altman and Musk battle to build the ultimate ‘everything app’
Sam Altman and Elon Musk are no longer just rival forces in the world of AI — they’re also in a race to develop what Silicon Valley calls the ultimate “everything app.” This holy grail of tech would combine financial tools, social networking, commerce, gaming, and more into a single, seamless platform.
Earlier this week, Sam Altman revealed more about his ambitious vision, not as CEO of OpenAI, but as co-founder and president of Tools for Humanity, the organization behind Worldcoin. Now available in the U.S., Worldcoin distributes cryptocurrency to individuals who scan their eyes using special orbs, which are being deployed in retail stores across the country. But it’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The long-term goal? To power a super app that could directly compete with Musk’s X.
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Altman’s World app serves many purposes: It’s a crypto wallet, social network and a growing ecosystem of mini apps. According to Tools for Humanity, the app has seen its monthly user base double in just six months, now at 26 million users — 12 million of whom have verified their identities using Orb. Within the app, users can chat via World ID-linked messages, transfer cryptocurrencies and interact with third-party mini apps developed by Kalshi with seamless in-app transactions.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is pursuing a similar goal with X. He has openly expressed his intention to turn X into a central hub for finance and social networking. Plans are already underway for Venmo-style payment features to launch later this year in partnership with Visa. Coincidentally or perhaps competitively, Tools for Humanity announced plans to launch a crypto wallet in the U.S. this summer. also revealed its partnership with Visa to launch a debit card. The card will enable transactions using Worldcoin and offer special rewards for AI-related services.
In addition to competing on features, the two platforms aim to solve a shared challenge: combating bots and fake accounts. “It was clear to us that there was a need for something like this, that we needed some kind of way to authenticate humans in the age of AGI,” Altman said during the event. “We wanted a way to make sure that humans remained special and central in a world where there was going to be a lot of AI-driven content on the internet.”
Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania reiterated this viewpoint during a press Q&A. He pointed to Musk’s X platform as the kind of environment they hope to enhance with World ID Verification. He added that bots are no longer as easily identified as before: “Bots on X used to be ‘so stupid you could see it was a crypto scam,'” he said. “Now, it’s not as obvious.”
OpenAI insiders were also seen in the audience at the event, fueling speculation about potential collaborations. Prior to the keynote, rumors swirled that OpenAI might partner with Worldcoin for its own social network. When asked about this, Blania replied, “Definitely open to that,” hinting at future developments. Unfortunately, Altman left the venue after his keynote, leaving other questions unanswered.
As the race to create the ultimate app heats up, Altman and Musk are pushing the boundaries of digital platforms — each creating their own powerful ecosystems.
