Bittensor Weekly Update: TAO Price, News & Subnets | 16.02.2026

Big Events in the Bittensor Ecosystem

Bittensor Founder Steps Down as Opentensor CEO in Major Decentralization Move

Bittensor co-founder Jacob Steeves, known in the ecosystem as Const, has stepped down as CEO of the Opentensor Foundation. At the same time, co-founder and COO Ala Shaabana (ShibShib) also announced he is leaving his executive role. This marks another important step in Bittensor’s long-term decentralization strategy.

However, neither founder is leaving the Bittensor ecosystem. Const confirmed he will remain fully active in development. He plans to continue writing chain code, building subnets, and contributing to protocol upgrades. In other words, the shift is about removing formal legal authority, not stepping away from technical work.

The move also addresses one of the most common criticisms of Bittensor. Many observers argued that the network still depended too heavily on the Opentensor Foundation. By voluntarily stepping back from executive control, the founders signal a structural transition toward more distributed governance.

Notably, the leadership change comes after several major milestones. These include the launch of Dynamic TAO (dTAO) and the network’s first halving event in December 2025. Meanwhile, subnet expansion is expected to accelerate further in 2026. For TAO holders, this development could strengthen long-term credibility. It may also reduce key-person risk as institutional interest in Bittensor continues to grow.

For a deeper analysis of what this leadership shift means for Bittensor and TAO holders,
Read the full article here.

Barry Silbert Says Bittensor Could 500x – TAO Reacts

Bittensor entered the spotlight this week after Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert stated that TAO could potentially deliver a 500x return. Speaking at Bitcoin Investor Week, Silbert argued that while Bitcoin is unlikely to rise 500x, Bittensor may still have that kind of upside. The comment quickly circulated across crypto media and social platform X.

The numbers behind the statement are striking. At current prices near $150, a 500x move would imply a TAO valuation of $75,000 per token and a fully diluted market cap above $1.5 trillion. That would place Bittensor on par with Bitcoin’s current scale.

Importantly, figures like Barry Silbert have measurable influence on market sentiment. Following the viral clip, TAO saw a noticeable short-term price increase, underscoring how institutional voices can directly impact liquidity and momentum in emerging crypto networks such as Bittensor.

Supporters argue that decentralized AI represents a multi-trillion dollar opportunity. Critics counter that such valuations would require unprecedented capital inflows and large-scale adoption. Regardless of perspective, Silbert’s public allocation signal reinforces growing institutional exposure to Bittensor through DCG, Yuma, and Grayscale.

For a full breakdown of the 500x thesis, the tokenomics math, and the risks behind the projection,
Read the complete analysis.

Bittensor Subnet IOTA (SN9) Opens “Train at Home” App to the Public

Macrocosmos has officially opened public access to Train at Home, a desktop application connected to IOTA on Bittensor Subnet 9 (SN9). The update allows anyone to download the client and contribute compute using consumer-grade hardware, without onboarding requirements or machine learning experience.

This marks an important step for the subnet, as IOTA is now operating under real-world conditions rather than controlled participation. With a larger and more diverse user base, the system must handle unstable connections, inconsistent hardware performance, and unpredictable usage patterns.

Train at Home is designed as a simple entry point into the Bittensor ecosystem. Users install the app, keep it running, and the platform automatically assigns workloads in the background. Instead of training models locally, participants contribute small portions of compute that are coordinated and combined into a shared distributed training process.

Macrocosmos also emphasized accessibility. Users do not need to manage datasets, tune models, or configure technical parameters. Those elements are handled internally, while participants can optionally provide a Bittensor coldkey address to earn rewards. According to the documentation, the app does not request private keys or seed phrases.

Currently, Train at Home is available on macOS, with Linux support planned. Windows does not appear to be part of the near-term roadmap. While the system still relies on a central orchestration layer, the public release signals growing confidence in IOTA’s readiness for broader adoption and stress testing.

If you have a Mac, you can test Train at Home by clicking here.

Bitget Expands Bittensor (TAO) Staking Through Yuma Partnership

Bitget has announced a new partnership with Yuma to expand global access to Bittensor (TAO) staking. Under the agreement, Yuma will serve as Bitget’s validator infrastructure provider, strengthening the exchange’s ability to offer scalable and reliable participation in the Bittensor network.

Bitget was the first centralized exchange to introduce TAO staking in 2025. The collaboration with Yuma builds on that early move by upgrading the backend infrastructure that supports staking operations. Through Yuma’s non-custodial validator services, users can participate in TAO staking without managing validator nodes themselves.

The partnership is designed to abstract technical complexity while maintaining institutional-grade standards. For Bitget’s 125+ million users, this means simplified access to Bittensor staking within a unified trading and yield framework.

As institutional interest in decentralized AI grows, infrastructure integrations like this play a strategic role. By combining Bitget’s global distribution with Yuma’s validator expertise, the agreement further integrates Bittensor into centralized exchange ecosystems and lowers the barrier to entry for TAO holders.

Read the full press release for detailed statements from Bitget and Yuma executives.

Subnet Updates

AI Trading Bot Built on Polymarket Using Synth (SN50) and Openclaw

Synthdata demonstrated how an AI agent can be deployed to trade live contracts on Polymarket in just a few hours. By providing the agent with a Synth API key, access to the Synth Openclaw skill, and a defined trading thesis, the system was able to identify pricing discrepancies and execute real-money bets automatically.

The strategy focused on Polymarket’s hourly up/down crypto contracts. These are binary positions on whether an asset will close higher or lower at the end of the hour. With roughly 20 minutes remaining, many contracts trade at elevated probabilities, such as $0.85 for a $1 payout. The core question becomes whether some of those 85-cent contracts are statistically worth 92 cents.

Synth’s volatility forecasts generate probability distributions in five-minute intervals, refreshed hourly. The Openclaw agent continuously compared Synth’s probability estimates to current Polymarket prices. When Synth’s implied probability exceeded the market price by a defined margin, the bot identified a potential edge. In some cases, the reported discrepancy exceeded 10%.

Position sizing was handled using the Kelly criterion, allocating capital proportionally to the calculated edge. Alternatively, fixed sizing rules could be applied.

While long-term performance remains untested, the experiment highlights how quickly trading ideas can now move from hypothesis to live execution using AI agents, structured probability forecasts, and automated risk management.

To replicate a similar setup, access to a Synth API key and an Openclaw agent is required. The agent can be configured to reference Synth’s forecasts, define execution thresholds, and deploy capital directly on Polymarket.

GLM-5 Launches on Chutes (SN64) as Platform Expands Search and Open-Source AI Tools

Chutes (SN64) announced that GLM-5, the new flagship open-source model from @zai_org, is now live on its platform. The model reportedly includes 744B parameters with 40B active, and is positioned as a high-performance open-source option for reasoning, coding, and agentic workloads.

According to Chutes, GLM-5 achieved strong benchmark results, including 77.8% on SWE-Bench Verified, 73.3% on SWE-Bench Multilingual, and 75.9% on BrowseComp with context management. The model also scored 50.4% on HLE with tools and 89.7% on τ²-Bench, highlighting its growing competitiveness against other leading open-source systems.

Alongside the GLM-5 release, Chutes also introduced a new AI search engine. The platform claims the search product is fast, source-cited, and powered entirely by open-source models. SN64 is positioning the tool as a potential alternative to traditional search engines, with support for being set as a default search option in Chrome.

With both the GLM-5 deployment and the search engine rollout, Chutes continues to expand its ecosystem as a decentralized infrastructure layer for open-source AI applications.

Almanac (SN41) Integrates With Polymarket to Reward Consistent Prediction Market Edge

Bitcast (SN93) announced that Almanac (SN41) is now live, introducing a system designed to identify and reward real signal rather than short-term noise. The update highlights Almanac’s integration with Polymarket, one of the largest prediction market platforms in crypto.

According to Bitcast, the key innovation is that Almanac focuses on sustained edge over time. Instead of rewarding viral takes or isolated correct calls, the model aims to track consistent forecasting performance and allocate rewards based on long-term accuracy.

Bitcast confirmed it will release a deeper breakdown of how Almanac connects with Polymarket and how the incentive mechanism works in practice. If successful, this approach could represent a meaningful step forward for prediction markets by shifting incentives toward reliability, discipline, and measurable performance.

Hippius (SN75) Restores S3 Services After Arion Upgrade Maintenance

Hippius announced that its scheduled S3 storage maintenance window has been completed successfully and all services have returned to normal. Upload functionality has been fully restored, while downloads remained uninterrupted throughout the process.

The update also confirms that the Arion data transfer upgrade is now officially live. This upgrade is expected to improve performance and reliability across Hippius’ decentralized storage layer, which operates as part of the broader Bittensor infrastructure stack.

Hippius thanked users for their patience as the network continues rolling out improvements to its S3-compatible storage services.

New Subnet Launches

Handshake58 (SN58)

Handshake58 is a new Bittensor subnet (SN58) focused on enabling trustless micropayments for autonomous AI agents. The project aims to remove a major bottleneck in the agent economy: agents can reason and execute tasks, but still struggle to pay for services without human approval.

Handshake58 introduces a payment-channel model where users open a channel once, stream off-chain payments, and settle later. This could enable pay-as-you-go access to subnet services without subscriptions or centralized billing.

TAO Market Update

Price: $180.13–$207.12
Weekly result (7d): +21.04%
Ranking: #44
Market Cap: $1.83B
24h Volume: $270.09M

As of today, TAO trades between $180.13 and $207.12, reflecting elevated volatility and active participation. Current market data puts TAO at #44 by market capitalization, with a valuation of $1.83B. TAO recorded $270.09M in 24-hour trading volume, showing sustained liquidity and steady engagement from market participants.

Top Gainer Subnet: Plaτform (SN100)

Platform Network is a decentralized AI evaluation framework built on the Bittensor network where developers compete to build and improve AI agents and software through structured challenges.

Miners submit AI agents and solutions, validators score them fairly in a decentralized way, and top performers earn TAO tokens and can have their work used in real products like AI tools. The goal is to drive open, competitive innovation in AI instead of centralized control.

Weekly change: +72.13%

Price: $3.096532

Market Cap: $1.64M

Volume (24h): $209.42K

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