logo
episode-header-image
Aug 9
1h 26m

Will Bittensor be Bigger than Bitcoin? |...

James Altucher
About this episode

Episode Description:

Hosted by James Altucher (serial entrepreneur, bestselling author of "Choose Yourself," podcaster, hedge fund manager, chess master, and investor in over 20 companies, with expertise in crypto and AI) and Joseph Jacks (founder and general partner of OSS Capital, the world's first VC firm dedicated to commercial open-source software; early-stage investor in AI and open-source tech, previously Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Quantum Corporation).

In the premiere episode, James and Joe explore Bittensor's decentralized AI ecosystem, contrasting it with centralized giants like xAI's Grok 4. They discuss subnets providing GPUs, datasets, and models; proof-of-useful-work mining; building custom AI agents; and Bittensor's potential to outpace Big Tech in achieving superintelligence.

Plus, tokenomics, real-world apps, capitalism parallels, and bold predictions on TAO's future value.


Key Timestamps & Topics:

  • 00:00:00 - Intro: Podcast overview, AI/crypto news (Grok 4, Bitcoin ATH), centralized vs. decentralized AI.
  • 00:09:00 - Proof of Useful Work: Mining datasets, models, inference on Bittensor.
  • 00:10:00 - Subnet Deep Dives: Dataverse (13) for data scraping; building trading models.
  • 00:16:00 - Chutes (64): Cheap AI inference, e.g., Bible chatbot at 1/50th OpenAI cost.
  • 00:23:00 - Agentic AI: Building owned agents, avoiding Big Tech biases/control.
  • 00:28:00 - Scaling & Future: Decentralization's infinite potential; Bitcoin compute parallels.
  • 00:33:00 - Superintelligence Path: Bittensor faster than Elon; energy/chip challenges.
  • 00:34:00 - Bittensor's Early Stage: Like 1990s internet, needs better user interfaces.
  • 00:38:00 - Chutes Economics: 10T+ tokens served, 4.4K H100 GPUs, user growth.
  • 00:50:00 - Valuation & Growth: Subnets as companies; TAO potentially 5-10x Bitcoin.
  • 01:02:00 - Bittensor as Pure Capitalism: Incentives for supply/demand; upgrading equity models.
  • 01:09:00 - Centralization Risks: Elon/Meta control; Bittensor's global solution.
  • 01:13:00 - Wrap-Up: Teasing future episodes on subnets, AI ventures.

Key Takeaways:

  • Bittensor incentivizes ~20-100K GPUs permissionlessly, rivaling xAI at zero CapEx.
  • Subnets like Chutes (inference) and Dataverse (data) enable cheap, owned AI models for anyone.
  • Decentralization democratizes AI talent/compute, potentially building AGI faster than centralized efforts.
  • Quote: "Bittensor is the most expressive language of value in the history of languages of value." – Joseph Jacks

Resources & Links:

  1. Bittensor Official: bittensor.com
  2. Taostats (Explorer/TAO App): taostats.io
  3. Subnet 64 (Chutes): taostats.io/subnets/64
  4. Subnet 13 (Dataverse): macrocosmos.ai/sn13
  5. Akash Network: akash.network
  6. xAI: x.ai

Follow Hosts: @jaltucher & @josephjacks_ on X

Subscribe for more on Bittensor subnets, AI building, and crypto trends! Leave a review and share your thoughts. #TheTaoPod #Bittensor #DecentralizedAI #TAO


Today's Advertisers:

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Aug 23
Matt Smith: Rethinking College with “The Preparation”
A Note from JamesThere’s always been debate about whether college is worth it. But what if there’s a better alternative—one that actually prepares you to become the person you want to be? My good friend Matt Smith just wrote a book with Doug Casey called The Preparation. It’s not ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 19
Case Kenny: Stop “Settling Down” and Start “Settling Up”
Episode DescriptionJames sits down with Case Kenny, author of The Opposite of Settling and host of New Mindset, Who Dis?, to talk about how our expectations around relationships shape the way we date and commit. Case shares the research, stories, and mindset shifts that helped hi ... Show More
40m 33s
Aug 7
$100K Scam Story: How to Spot Con Artists with Johnathan Walton's Red Flags
A Note from James:"Anatomy of a Con Artist. The 14 red flags to spot scammers, grifters, and thieves". This is a book—an amazing book—by Johnathan Walton.Check out his podcast Queen of the Con, and his new one Cocaine Air. We talk about both in this episode. But his book, Anatomy ... Show More
1h 17m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
The Savings Expert: They're Lying To You About Buying A House! Tariffs Are About To Skyrocket Cost Of Living! Here's The Truth About America Collapsing!
Is buying a house the biggest financial mistake you could make right now, and will the next Great Depression hit even harder? Morgan Housel reveals the real story. Morgan Housel, partner at Collaborative Fund and bestselling author of ‘The Psychology of Money’ and ‘Same As Ever’, ... Show More
2h 15m
Apr 2025
The $6.6 Trillion Sell-off
Scott and Ed dig into the rubble of the record breaking $6.6 trillion sell-off following Trump’s tariffs announcements. They break down how Trump determined the tariff rates, what the tariffs will do to company earnings and the real economy, and offer advice on how to deal with t ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2024
Interest rates, inflation and the American consumer
The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates this week for the first time in four years. It would be a major milestone in the central bank’s long fight to get inflation under control. The Fed changes interest rates to keep inflation in check. But inflation is a complex p ... Show More
28m 53s
Jul 30
GM85: What If the Real Risk Isn’t Recession — But Reinvention? ft. Steven Bell
Steven Bell has seen the macro machine from every angle - Treasury insider, hedge fund manager, and chief economist. In this wide-ranging conversation with Alan Dunne, he traces the quiet erosion of economic orthodoxy and why AI, not tariffs, may prove the more destabilizing forc ... Show More
1h 7m
Dec 2024
251. The Gold Standard: Saifedean’s Next Book!
Saifedean introduces his next book, The Gold Standard: an alternative economic history of the twentieth century, where fiat money died in 1915. What would the world look like if we had a gold standard in the twentieth century? What would life be like with constantly appreciating ... Show More
33m 2s
Feb 2025
CPA Shares Tax Tips to Lower Your 2024 (Yes, 2024) Taxes
2024 may be long gone, but it’s NOT too late to lower your taxes for the previous year. If you have real estate or retirement accounts, you already hold the key to minimizing your taxable income and owing less to Uncle Sam. But how do you do it? We’re sharing 2024 and 2025 top ta ... Show More
47m 48s
Mar 2025
Tariffs Are Screwing Your Wallet—Here’s How to Fight Back
Everything is getting more expensive, and it’s not just inflation. The U.S. just slapped massive tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, and that means your grocery bill, your next car, and even your favorite bottle of tequila are all about to cost way more. But why is this happeni ... Show More
31m 3s
Apr 2025
BTC229: Trump Tariffs, Market Chaos, Bitcoin Impact w/ James Lavish
 Wall Street veteran and macro expert, James Lavish, and Preston Pysh have a candid back and forth about the Trump tariffs and what the impact in game theory looks like moving forward.They also talk about how it's impacting fixed income, equities, and Bitcoin. Plus how the U.S. m ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2024
Prof G Markets: Takeaways from the Second Debate + Does the US Need a Sovereign Wealth Fund?
Follow Prof G Markets: Apple Podcasts Spotify  Scott and Ed open the show by discussing recent inflation data, Oracle’s earnings, Wall Street’s decision to curb working hours for young bankers, and Open AI’s newest model. Then Scott shares his reactions to the President debate an ... Show More
54m 31s
Sep 2024
The Harsh Truth About Our Economic Future | John Rubino on the Dollar Crisis, Wealth Gap & More
In the third episode of our miniseries 'It's Not What They Told You', Mo Gawdat speaks toJohn Rubino (https://rubino.substack.com), a former Wall Street financial analyst and author or co-author of five books, including The Money Bubble: What to Do Before It Pops and The Collapse ... Show More
1h 19m