When Mark Jeffrey opened the latest episode of Hash Rate Podcast, he knew he was stepping into uncharted territory. Yoav Cohen and Garrett Oetken from TAO.COM joined him to debut something brand new, a complete reimagining of the official Bittensor wallet.
What followed was an exclusive and guided walk-through of a product designed to introduce Bittensor to the masses, remove long-standing friction, and create a consumer-level experience for an ecosystem that has historically felt complex and intimidating.
Introduction to TAO.COM
The episode opened with Mark congratulating Yoav and Garrett on securing the TAO.COM domain, a moment both humorous and telling, given how seriously the team takes product identity.
More importantly, TAO.COM is now the home of the official Bittensor wallet. The OpenTensor Foundation formally handed wallet stewardship over to the TAO.COM team so the foundation could focus exclusively on protocol development. With that responsibility came one mission:
a. Rebuild the wallet,
b. Reimagine the user experience,
c. Remove friction at every step, and
d. Make Bittensor accessible to an everyday audience.
The product unveiled on Hash Rate Podcast is the first result of that mission.
DEMO: Reimagining the Bittensor Wallet
Garrett launched the live demo, showcasing a clean, intuitive interface anchored around clarity and simplicity.
From the walkthrough, it can be deduced that the wallet would have various exciting features:
a. Face ID and secure enclave storage for seamless security,
b. A home screen that presents balances, positions and activity without blockchain jargon,
c. A simple toggle between viewing assets in $TAO or $USD,
d. Coinbase integration that allows debit card purchases of $TAO without needing a Coinbase account,
e. Easy access to subnet holdings, performance, APY (Annual Percentage Yield) and team information, and
f. Faster transactions that process in the background so the user never has to wait on chain timing
Mark repeatedly described the interface as “a candy store,” noting that for the first-time subnets feel inviting, intuitive and even fun to explore.
User Experience: Simpler by Design
Yoav emphasized a central philosophy: simple should be easy and complex should be possible. To achieve this, TAO.COM deliberately removed concepts that overwhelm new users.
To this end, this new wallet would have:
a. No validator selection,
b. No miner terminology,
c. No references to Root or Subnet Zero, and
d. No technical screens or blockchain style layouts
Instead, the team focused on approachable, consumer-friendly design through:
a. Clear explanations,
b. Human readable layouts,
c. Discoverable subnet pages,
d. Short descriptions, videos and team bios, and
e. Design consistency inspired by modern apps.
The app feels more like a fintech wallet than a blockchain tool, and that is intentional.
Staking and Earning APY
Staking is central to the Bittensor experience, but historically confusing for newcomers. To make this seamless, TAO.COM solved this with:
a. One-tap staking,
b. Automatic detection of unstaked $TAO,
c. Gentle alerts that communicate missed APY,
d. Face ID approval for transactions, and
e. Simple language: “Stake $TAO” rather than “Stake to Root”
The wallet defaults to TAO.COM’s validator, which currently secures more than 70% of the network. As Yoav explained, everyday users simply want to earn, not manage validator infrastructure.
Transaction History Made Understandable
One of Mark’s biggest frustrations with other wallets is the absence of clear transaction history. TAO.COM approached this like a credit card interface, not a blockchain explorer.
Through this, users can see:
a. Every subnet purchase,
b. Every staking action,
c. Every transfer, and
d. Clear timestamps and summaries.
This platform would include no hashes, no detective work, and no guesswork. Just clean visibility!
Exploring Subnets: A Breakthrough in Clarity
TAO.COM is introducing an “Explore” section. This is by far the biggest leap forward and through this, users can browse subnets by:
a. Emissions,
b. Market cap,
c. Price, and
d. Performance.
Each subnet includes:
a. A short explanation of what it actually does,
b. Transparent APY information,
c. A simple price chart,
d. A video introduction where available,
e. Full team bios with pictures and links, and
f. Articles, news and related content.
Mark stressed that this solves half of Bittensor’s onboarding problem: people finally understand what these “AI startups” actually are.
Future Roadmap
Yoav and Garrett outlined what’s coming next, with careful differentiation between use cases. In future, TAO.COM would introduce updates that would allow users to have a nice experience while interacting with the ecosystem:
a. Near Term
1. Android release,
2. Desktop application with more analytics,
3. Chrome wallet with Ledger support,
4. Additional on-ramp integrations, and
5. Clearer subnet level education.
b. Longer Horizon
1. A fully-expanded tool suite for both everyday users and power traders
2. A multi-platform architecture where: the mobile app becomes a hot wallet for small deployments, the desktop app becomes the analytical hub, and the browser extension becomes the workflow tool.
The roadmap reflects a long-term, multi-year commitment, not a short lived product demo.
The Team Behind TAO.COM
Mark repeatedly expressed surprise (in a positive way) at how consumer ready the wallet feels, Yoav revealed why. The TAO.COM team includes talent from Apple, Uber, Facebook, and Kraken.
This design caliber explains the polish, it also reflects the team’s strategic goal, which is to professionalize the entire experience around using and interacting with the Bittensor network.
TAO.COM now spans the full-stack:
a. prominent mining operations,
b. major validator infrastructure,
c. end-user wallet design, and
d. tool creation and ecosystem support.
It is a vertically integrated contribution to the ecosystem, built for the long horizon.
Personal Journeys Into the Ecosystem
Both guests on the podcast shared how they got to the ecosystem:
Garrett’s Path
a. Originally came from AI, not crypto
b. Co-founded a cybersecurity startup using computer vision
c. Entered Bittensor by accident
d. Recognized its (Bittensor’s) meritocratic structure
e. Became the CTO of OpenTensor Foundation
f. Eventually partnered with Yoav and the Tensora team
For Garrett, blockchain only matters if it serves a real purpose. Bittensor was the first crypto project that aligned with that view.
Yoav’s Path
a. Formerly ran a large consulting company
b. Had no plans to enter crypto
c. Joined OpenTensor as an advisor
d. Became deeply impressed by the talent and seriousness of builders
e. Saw Bittensor as a real economy: open currency, open work, and open capital
f. Partnered with Garrett and Tensora to build TAO.COM
For Yoav, Bittensor represents the economic model that aligns with the AI future. A future that is borderless, open and merit-based.
Discussion on TAO Flow and Its Implications
Mark closed with the ecosystem’s most debated topic: TAO Flow. Garrett and Yoav had unique views on the subject matter;
Garrett’s View
1. Conceptually aligned with the mechanism
2. TAO Flow reframes emissions around volume rather than price
3. Necessary for scale beyond 128 subnets
4. Prevents new subnets from gaming emissions through artificial price stability
5. Some smoothing still needed, but directionally correct
Yoav’s View
1. The mechanism is not the issue, communication is
2. Markets need predictability
3. Abrupt changes create unnecessary volatility and confusion
4. A more mature communication strategy benefits the entire ecosystem
Both perspectives highlighted the importance of progress and predictability.
A Final Invitation
As the session wrapped, Yoav had one final message for the community: He urged everyone to get on the waitlist, download the app when it’s live, try it and share feedback with the team.
For an ecosystem defined by openness, TAO.COM is positioning itself as the front door: polished, intuitive and built for the next million users.
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