Sam Altman’s Orb Company Promoted a Bruno Mars Partnership That Doesn't Exist
Tools for Humanity claimed VIP ticket access for Mars tour, but Live Nation says partnership 'does not exist'.
Sam Altman's biometric startup Tools for Humanity, known for its Worldcoin project and iris-scanning orb, made a significant misstep last week. At its 'Lift Off' event, Chief Product Officer Tiago Sada announced that the new Concert Kit—a product designed to give verified humans exclusive access to concert tickets—would first roll out during Bruno Mars' 'The Romantic' world tour. The claim was repeated in an official blog post, promising 'VIP suite experiences at select stops' for users verified by Worldcoin's technology.
However, Bruno Mars Management and tour producer Live Nation issued a blunt joint statement to WIRED, clarifying that the partnership 'does not exist' and that Tools for Humanity never even approached them about working together. They stated they first learned their tour was being used to promote the startup's project after the keynote made the claims. Following the report, Tools for Humanity edited its video and blog post, replacing the Bruno Mars reference with a claim about launching on Jared Leto's Thirty Seconds to Mars 2027 European tour. A company spokesperson confirmed there is 'no agreement' with Bruno Mars but declined to explain why the false announcement was made.
The incident highlights the challenges Tools for Humanity faces in legitimizing its controversial identity-verification technology. The company, which aims to use blockchain and biometrics to distinguish humans from bots online, is directly targeting the ticketing industry's bot problems—a pain point famously experienced during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour presale. While executives from Tinder and Zoom pledged support at the same event, the fabricated Mars partnership undermines the startup's credibility as it seeks major brand alliances to build trust in its privacy-sensitive orb technology.
- Tools for Humanity announced Concert Kit would launch with Bruno Mars' tour, but Live Nation and Mars' management said the partnership 'does not exist' and they were never approached.
- The company has since edited all promotional materials, replacing Bruno Mars with a reference to Jared Leto's Thirty Seconds to Mars 2027 tour.
- The false claim undermines the startup's push for legitimacy as it pitches its iris-scanning orb as a solution to bot problems plaguing platforms like Ticketmaster.
Why It Matters
The fabricated partnership damages credibility for a startup trying to convince users and brands to trust its invasive biometric verification technology.