OpenAI just called out Robinhood over their “OpenAI tokens,” making it really clear—these aren’t actual shares. They’re not involved, they didn’t sign off on anything, and they don’t approve any token transfers. OpenAI even warned folks to “please be careful”.
Robinhood recently launched a tokenized stocks feature in Europe that gave users €5 worth of tokens tied to private companies like OpenAI and SpaceX. Their pitch? It’s the same as owning a bit of the company, but through a blockchain-linked special purpose vehicle (SPV).
But OpenAI warns that’s misleading—regular users won’t get any real equity, voting rights, or official ownership. If you want actual OpenAI stock, this token isn’t it.
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev defended the move, saying these tokens give “indirect exposure” and could be just the start of a much bigger shift in asset tokenization.
In short: Robinhood’s new tokens are a way to track private-company value via blockchain—but OpenAI stresses they’re not genuine shares, and users shouldn’t confuse them with real equity.
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