Bittensor co-founder const stated in a long post on X on June 22 that Bittensor’s core economic incentive layer is not yet decentralized and is still led by himself, two engineers, and a group of core contributors. const expects to complete the construction of the core mechanisms within the next 18 months, ultimately enabling the coordinated operation of the three pillars—alignment of incentives, value optimization, and true ownership.
Bittensor’s current state of decentralization
According to const’s public comments, Bittensor’s decentralization status is as follows:
Layers that have achieved decentralization: The project has been running for over 5 years and there has been no pre-mining; ownership distribution is obtained through work and innovation rather than bureaucratic allocation; 128 subnet teams and more than 20 core validator teams; subnets can be built, mined, or used with no permission required; const claims Bittensor’s asset allocation is “one of the best in history,” because there is no centralized account on-chain similar to the centralized holdings of a Satoshi-style coin.
Layers that have not yet achieved decentralization: The core economic incentive layer is still led by const and the core team; it has not yet been decided whether to activate the final changes that would enable it to withstand government intervention.
Future roadmap: validator competition, two-way liquidity pool investing, and Alpha token voting rights
Based on const’s post on X, Bittensor’s future update plans include the following directions:
Reintroducing a competition mechanism for validators: Transforming the root subnet into a flywheel, pushing validators to become active and competitive participants in the ecosystem, bringing more economic benefits to TAO.
Opening two-way investment in liquidity pools: Allowing pool lending (shorting) to symmetrize the market, preventing attackers from manipulating on-chain signals that drive Bittensor’s growth, achieving trustless collective intelligence.
Introducing a belief mechanism: Granting Alpha token holders a voting structure based on the team’s commitments to the token and the future success of its competitive counterparts.
TaoFlow and derivatives updates: Expected to be launched in the coming weeks, further optimizing the issuance and distribution algorithm so that it aligns more closely with Bittensor’s procedural approach to distributing inflation.
const also stated that it will take a more proactive approach to exclude teams that are not actively contributing value to the network from the ecosystem.
Three pillars and the 18-month goal
const expects to complete the construction of the core mechanisms within the next 18 months. He said that the coordinated operation of these three pillars will constitute the final outcome of Bittensor’s core mechanism: consistently aligned incentive mechanisms, value optimization, and true ownership. He emphasized that full decentralization is the ultimate goal, at which point they will “throw away the key to this spaceship,” making the code’s immutability procedural.
FAQ
Why does Bittensor currently choose to maintain centralization rather than decentralize immediately?
According to const’s explanation, he believes that “if a system isn’t worth decentralizing yet, then decentralization is meaningless”; in the fast-developing AI field, he chose to act and iterate quickly, even if that means staying centralized, rather than moving forward “democratically” and slowly. He used an analogy to Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto’s early two-and-a-half years of centralized control over all architecture.
How exactly do “Alpha token holder voting rights” work?
As described by const, this is a voting structure based on a “belief mechanism,” granting Alpha token holders the power to vote based on the team’s commitments to the future success of its token and its competitors. The technical details of the specific mechanism have not yet been fully disclosed; const said this is part of the future roadmap.
Are there specific milestones for the 18-month decentralization goal?
According to const’s post, within 18 months the goal is to achieve the coordinated operation of the three pillars: “alignment of incentives, value optimization, and true ownership.” However, const said that once the timing is set, “people will naturally know,” and he did not provide a fixed milestone schedule, indicating it is a forecast rather than a fixed commitment.
