Tokenized fairness choices for OpenAI being provided to Robinhood customers in Europe should not formally approved by the corporate, the AI large stated in a social media publish.
“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ should not OpenAI fairness. We didn’t companion with Robinhood, weren’t concerned on this, and don’t endorse it,” OpenAI posted on X. “Any switch of OpenAI fairness requires our approval — we didn’t approve any switch.”
Earlier this week, Robinhood introduced it was launching tokenized inventory buying and selling primarily based on the Arbitrum blockchain to its customers in Europe. As CoinDesk reported earlier, customers can have entry to 200 equities and ETFs, in addition to a secondary marketplace for fairness in sizzling startups like OpenAI and SpaceX.
The concept of tokenized fairness in not-yet public corporations is nothing new.
In 2018, a blockchain startup known as Swarm stated it might quickly offer tokenized shares in startups — together with Robinhood.
CoinDesk reported on the time that most of the corporations Swarm claimed it might offer fairness in pushed again and stated such a sale can be unauthorized however Swarm stated every thing got here from “authorised secondary market transactions.”
Taking a look at Robinhood’s present tokenized providing, it is unclear the place the supply of fairness is. There’s some hypothesis that the fairness represents curiosity in OpenAI shares which have been already acquired through approved channels, primarily based on feedback made by Robinhood’s CEO.
Hypothesis:
In the course of the presentation, Vlad particularly talked about having a relationship with a rich investor with OpenAI / SpaceX shares.
These shares might doubtless nonetheless be below the unique buyers identify (both a person, or an entity), which OpenAI has already… https://t.co/bfskaDWf5O
— David Hoffman (@TrustlessState) July 2, 2025
Others have warned that OpenAI — and different startups — can be effectively inside their rights to not honor the sale.
This highlights one other danger on the non-public firm facet I did not handle yesterday, however we frequently see in these secondary markets. There isn’t any requirement for these corporations to honor the sale of the fairness you suppose you personal – the truth is I stated just lately at a non-public convention that I… https://t.co/nyzhjfgXwV
— Rob Hadick ＞|＜ (@HadickM) July 2, 2025
“I anticipate this pure pressure to lead to extra non-public corporations simply cancelling fairness gross sales altogether for many who violate their shareholders’ agreements,” Dragonfly Normal Accomplice Rob Hadick posted on X.
Robinhood didn’t reply to a request for remark from CoinDesk.
