OpenAI has officially declared that “OpenAI tokens” offered to Robinhood users in Europe were not sanctioned by the company. In a public statement, OpenAI clarified that these tokens are not shares of the company. It was emphasized that any share transfer cannot occur without OpenAI’s approval, and no such approvals have been granted.
Robinhood’s Move with Tokenized Stocks
This week, Robinhood announced the launch of its Arbitrum blockchain-based tokenized stock trading application for European users. The platform provides access to over 200 stocks and ETFs. Additionally, a secondary market featuring tokenized shares of leading ventures like OpenAI and SpaceX was said to be in the pipeline.
In response, OpenAI’s official social media account shared the following message: “These ‘OpenAI tokens’ do not represent OpenAI shares. We have no partnership with Robinhood, were not involved, and do not approve the project. Approval is required for any OpenAI share transfer — we have not granted any approval.”
Authority Disputes in Tokenized Stocks
Offering tokenized shares of private companies is not a new practice. Back in 2018, a blockchain initiative named Swarm announced plans to offer tokenized shares in new ventures, with Robinhood among the implicated firms. However, several companies involved had declared the associated sales unauthorized at that time.
Swarm, on the other hand, claimed that these operations were derived from authorized secondary market activities.
Regarding Robinhood’s new tokenized share offering, the source of these shares remains unclear. Some market observers, recalling past statements by the Robinhood CEO, speculated that these assets represent OpenAI shares acquired through authorized channels.
Conversely, various experts stressed that private ventures like OpenAI can opt not to recognize unauthorized sale proceedings. Commenting on these concerns, Dragonfly General Partner Rob Hadick expressed on social media: “I anticipate this type of inherent tension will lead private companies to fully cancel share sales for those breaching shareholder agreements.”
Statements from OpenAI and sector representatives indicate that the burgeoning market of tokenized stocks, especially involving proprietary company shares offered on unapproved platforms, carries potential legal and ethical issues. The technical and legal specifics of Robinhood’s tokenized stock model remain undefined, prompting advisories for investors to be cautious and meticulously monitor developments.
