Sam Altman's blockchain start-up demands employees work weekends 'for humanity'
24 Nov 2025

Sam Altman-backed blockchain start-up, Tools for Humanity, has come under fire for its extreme work culture.

The company, which focuses on digital identity and blockchain solutions, is asking employees to work on weekends and be available at all times.

CEO Alex Blania recently told staff at an all-hands meeting that they need to be fully devoted to their jobs or leave the company.

Blania's ultimatum: Full devotion or departure
CEO's message

Blania made it clear that he expects total commitment from his employees.

He said, "We will neither fail, nor will we be an average outcome, and that's what we want and that's all I care about every day."

He further stressed that if anyone cares about something else or wants something else, they should just not be here.

Tools for Humanity's mission and employee expectations
Work culture

The company's "team values" emphasize the importance of their project for humanity.

It states that employees should be ready to work on weekends and be available at all times.

A video from February, seen by Business Insider, showed a TV screen in the company's former San Francisco office displaying these values.

It read, "We believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime project and that success is important for humanity."

Orb's underwhelming performance and future prospects
Product performance

The Orb, Tools for Humanity's flagship product, has failed to live up to expectations.

It is a spherical device that scans a person's eyes to verify they're human for the Worldcoin crypto platform.

Launched two years ago with a target of signing up two billion people, it has only managed to attract 17.5 million subscribers so far.

This poor performance raises questions about the company's future and its demanding work culture amid these challenges.