Covenant AI's exit from Bittensor was prompted by allegations that co-founder Jacob Steeves maintained centralized control, contradicting the project's decentralized mission. The fallout from this departure saw TAO plummet nearly 25% in just six hours, erasing over $650 million in market capitalization.
Early on Monday, the supply of new cryptocurrency tied to Bittensor-a decentralized network of AI projects-dropped by half. The halving was the first the currency has experienced and came about by design, reflecting how Bittensor shares the same anti-inflationary architecture as Bitcoin. The event also serves a milestone for one of the most novel and ambitious cryptocurrencies to launch in years.