Worldcoin's Orb Layoffs Signal Revenue Model Failure

Tools for Humanity laid off employees in June 2026, unable to translate millions of iris scans into sustainable revenue. The company's hardware-intensive identity service faces a capital-constrained chicken-and-egg problem: expensive Orb devices require massive enrollment before enterprises will pay for verification services. Despite enrolling users globally, downstream monetization—whether identity fees or protocol revenue—has not closed the spending gap.