Talking Tao: with Mark & Siam

This episode is a Bittensor catch-up rather than a subnet interview, with Siam back from three weeks in California and Mark writing from Spain. The main focus is the pace of recent BitTensor “upgrades,” especially Root Reborn, validator baskets, deregistration mechanics, conviction, chain buys, and the looming arrival of shorting. Both remain strongly bullish on Bittensor, but argue that the ecosystem is becoming difficult for investors, subnet owners, and potential new teams to navigate because rules are changing quickly and often without enough notice, roadmap clarity, or explanation. Mark frames his recent article as a call for better process rather than a complaint: the issue is not that changes are bad, but that constant changes create fatigue, uncertainty, and make it harder for serious teams and institutional capital to commit.

A major theme is whether price alone is the right mechanism for deciding which subnets survive. They argue current deregistration can become a popularity contest, while real businesses, especially enterprise or research-focused subnets, often need 6–24 months to generate meaningful revenue. They compare this to startups like Tesla, Apple, Anthropic, or enterprise software companies, where patient capital is required before results arrive. Siam also highlights that markets inside Bittensor are still inefficient: tweets, Telegram comments, and short-term narratives can move subnet prices far more than fundamentals. They discuss how Root Reborn and chain buys may create new investment metas, but sudden future changes could instantly break those strategies, which is exactly why clearer process matters.

They also debate conviction and whether it actually protects investors from rug pulls. Both are sceptical, with Siam calling it “virtue signalling” and Mark arguing it may restrict good teams from using alpha to fund growth while not necessarily stopping bad actors. They also warn that conviction plus shorting could increase the power of deep-pocketed players to influence, pressure, or even attack subnets. The closing message is that Bittensor still has huge talent and potential, but the network’s incentive mechanism needs refinement so value, talent, capital, and long-term builders are better aligned. They finish by reinforcing that they are not bearish or moaning; they are pushing for improvements because they believe Bittensor can become much bigger if the ecosystem becomes easier to understand, invest in, and build within.