Coinbase's Former Head of Communications Joins Worldcoin

Elliott Suthers has joined biometric data and crypto firm Worldcoin.

Former Coinbase comms lead joins Worldcoin

by Ian Allison | 4 hours ago

Former Coinbase (COIN) head of corporate communications Elliott Suthers has joined biometric data and crypto firm Worldcoin as its head of communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Suthers, who also has experience working in government policy in Washington, D.C., will now be responsible for leading Worldcoin's communications strategy in the region. He joined Coinbase in 2018 and helped oversee the growth of the business as it became a publicly traded company in the U.S.

Worldcoin, founded in 2019 by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is a biometric crypto project that aims to harvest iris scans from billions of people around the world to ensure they each get a unique identity on the blockchain. The project has been divisive since its launch due to its methods, which involve a biometric data-harvesting "orb" — a chrome sphere about the size of a bowling ball that contains a lens for scanning eyeballs.

But Suthers told CoinDesk in an email that the orb is necessary to ensure that anyone who gets an account is a person and not a robot, something that's going to be "vital" when it comes to distinguishing authentic human interactions from those driven by sophisticated AI programs.

“No project in the world today has the potential to distinguish humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes and eventually show a potential path for programs like AI-funded UBI,” said Suthers. “Most crypto projects think about their customer base in the thousands, or maybe in the millions for an exchange or DEX, Worldcoin is thinking about how it can help billions of people globally.”

World Chain Is a Blockchain 'Designed for Humans': Tools for Humanity Exec

Worldcoin has been a divisive project with its biometric data-harvesting orb

Worldcoin's orb, which is used to scan a person's irises to ensure they're a real person, has been a point of contention for some. But Suthers, who recently joined the biometric crypto project, believes it's an essential tool for distinguishing between humans and AI online.

by Ian Allison | 4 hours ago

Former Coinbase (COIN) head of corporate communications Elliott Suthers, who recently joined biometric crypto project Worldcoin, has defended the use of the company's orb, which scans a person's irises to ensure they're a real person.

Suthers, who will now lead Worldcoin's communications strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), told CoinDesk in an email that the orb is necessary to ensure that anyone who gets an account on the blockchain is a person and not a robot. This will be "vital" when it comes to distinguishing authentic human interactions from those driven by sophisticated AI programs, he said.

“No project in the world today has the potential to distinguish humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes and eventually show a potential path for programs like AI-funded UBI,” said Suthers. “Most crypto projects think about their customer base in the thousands, or maybe in the millions for an exchange or DEX, Worldcoin is thinking about how it can help billions of people globally.”

Suthers, who also has experience working in government policy in Washington, D.C., joined Coinbase in 2018 and helped oversee the growth of the business as it became a publicly traded company in the U.S.

Worldcoin, founded in 2019 by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, aims to harvest iris scans from billions of people around the world to ensure they each get a unique identity on the blockchain. The project has been a point of contention since its launch due to its methods, which involve a biometric data-harvesting orb.

World Chain Is a Blockchain 'Designed for Humans': Tools for Humanity Exec

Worldcoin has been a divisive project with its biometric data-harvesting orb, but Suthers, who recently joined the biometric crypto project, believes it's an essential tool for distinguishing between humans and AI online.

by Ian Allison | 4 hours ago

Former Coinbase (COIN) head of corporate communications Elliott Suthers, who recently joined biometric crypto project Worldcoin, has highlighted the company's goal of helping billions of people globally, as opposed to the thousands or millions targeted by most crypto projects.

Suthers, who will now lead Worldcoin's communications strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), told CoinDesk in an email that most crypto projects are concerned with a customer base in the thousands, or perhaps in the millions for a decentralized exchange (DEX) or trading platform. However, Worldcoin is thinking about how it can help billions of people around the world.

“No project in the world today has the potential to distinguish humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes and eventually show a potential path for programs like AI