AI giant OpenAI issued a stern statement earlier, publicly condemning Robinhood for unilaterally launching 'OpenAI equity tokens' and emphasizing that the related tokens have no connection to OpenAI.
OpenAI stated on social platform X earlier today: 'These so-called 'OpenAI tokens' are not OpenAI equity.'
We have not partnered with Robinhood, have never participated in any related programs, and do not endorse them. Any transfer of OpenAI equity must be approved by our company—we have never approved any transfers. Please proceed with caution.
These 'OpenAI tokens' are not OpenAI equity. We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it. Any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval—we did not approve any transfer.
Please be careful.
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) July 2, 2025
Robinhood CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev announced earlier this week that the company will launch 'tokenized US stock' trading services in the European market, providing a 24/7 trading experience for over 200 US stocks and ETFs (limited to business days); users will also be able to participate in private equity token trading, with the first wave offering tokenized shares from two highly anticipated private companies—OpenAI and SpaceX.
However, according to Robinhood's official statement, these 'Stock Tokens' are derivatives that track the price performance of US stocks and ETFs. In other words, users do not actually 'own' these stocks, but instead acquire price-linked investment exposure through tokenized contracts. While investors can participate in price changes, they do not have any shareholder rights.
It is worth noting that Robinhood is not the only platform in the market offering similar products. Another American investment platform, Republic, also announced at the end of June that it will issue equity tokens for AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic, allowing retail investors to indirectly participate in the value appreciation of unicorn companies.
Republic stated that while these tokens do not grant investors actual shareholder rights, they will directly track the value fluctuations of company shares, providing alternative asset allocation options.
"Robinhood's launch of 'equity tokens' sparks controversy! OpenAI: Unauthorized transfers, not real equity" this article was first published on (BlockTech).