EP04: Why Bittensor's TAO Demand Will Be Higher Than Ever.

Hosted by James Altucher and Joseph Jacks.In this episode, James and JJ discuss Bittensor's unbeatable scale against centralized companies, parallels to the internet/crypto revolutions, unregulatable open source AI, demand math for TAO with subnet growth (e.g., 10-15M additional staked TAO for 1,000 subnets), the upcoming halving event in December 2025, alpha token economics/volatility, regulation debates (e.g., Eric Schmidt on open source AI), dual-use tech risks, and rational optimism for AI's future. They also did a small Q&A at the end of the episode.Key Timestamps & Topics:00:00:00 - Intro: Bittensor's humanity-scale advantage; internet/crypto parallels; unregulatable open source creativity.00:01:00 - TAO Demand Math: Staking/users/validators for 1,000+ subnets; 10-15M additional TAO needed (vs. 9.5M circulating).00:02:00 - Halving Event: December 2025 cuts emission from 7,200 to 3,600 TAO/day; scarcity impact.00:03:00 - Alpha Tokens: 21M supply cap; faster emission (1.5-2x TAO); volatility from thin liquidity (e.g., 2M circulating alpha).00:06:00 - Pool Dynamics: Price sensitivity in early stages; stability in 6-9 months as supply reaches 10-20%.00:08:00 - Market Factors: Organic exchange listings; daily volume $100-200M; staking for emission ranking.01:04:00 - Regulating Open Source AI: Eric Schmidt's views critiqued; impossible to regulate human curiosity/creativity.01:05:00 - Dual-Use Tech: AI vs. nuclear weapons; kitchen knife analogy; good intentions vs. bad outcomes (e.g., student loans).01:09:00 - Rational Optimism: History shows good outpaces bad (e.g., internet, Bitcoin); societies at all-time highs despite fears.01:12:00 - Wrap-Up: Relax if not understanding everything; ride the wave of Bittensor's evolution.Key Takeaways:Bittensor scales infinitely like the internet/crypto, outcompeting centralized solutions via permissionless, humanity-wide incentives—no company can match global creativity.TAO demand surges with subnet growth (post-128 cap removal): Back-of-envelope math shows 10-15M additional staked TAO for 1,000 subnets, vs. current 9.5M circulation; halving adds scarcity.Alpha tokens are volatile early due to thin liquidity (2M circulating vs. 21M cap), but stabilize as emission progresses—faster halving (every 2-3 years) accelerates price discovery.Open source AI is unregulatable, as it equates to stifling human curiosity; dual-use fears (e.g., biological weapons) are flawed—history proves innovation's net good outweighs risks.Optimism prevails: Regulations often backfire (e.g., tuition inflation from student loans); AI's progress mirrors societal advances, with good far outpacing bad in unregulated environments.Resources & Links:Bittensor Official: bittensor.comTaostats (Explorer/TAO App): taostats.ioxAI: x.aiFollow Hosts: @jaltucher & @josephjacks_ on X