The TAO Subnet Team Praised by Jensen Huang Has Parted Ways with the Founder Amidst a Fallout
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently praised the decentralized AI project Bittensor (TAO) during a podcast, specifically highlighting a 72-billion-parameter Llama model trained collaboratively by a subnet team called Covenant AI. This endorsement initially boosted TAO's price, but the situation deteriorated rapidly when Covenant AI's founder, Sam Dare, publicly announced the team's departure from the Bittensor network.
Covenant AI accused Bittensor and its key figure, Jacob Steeves (known as Const), of centralization and abuse of power, contradicting Bittensor’s decentralized ethos. The team claimed that Const exercised unilateral control by halting subnet emissions, removing administrative rights, discarding infrastructure, and using token sales to pressure the team. They argued that Bittensor’s governance is effectively centralized under Const, despite claims of distributed control.
As a result, Covenant AI decided to leave, intending to continue its work on decentralized AI training elsewhere. The exit has sparked significant concern within the Bittensor community, raising doubts about the network’s decentralization narrative, technical future, and token value. TAO’s price fell sharply following the news.
Const responded vaguely on social media, suggesting the event would push Bittensor toward more decentralized, “headless” subnets, but has not addressed the specific allegations in detail. The incident has damaged Bittensor’s reputation while raising Covenant AI’s profile.
Odaily星球日报04/10 03:08
