Wisdom of the $TAO: the future is decentralized AI
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 6 March 2026
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Every Banking - https://Every.io
https://Lemon.io - Lemon.io/twist
Wispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twist
Plaud - https://plaud.ai/twistRo.co - https://Ro.co/Twist
Today’s show:
*Sure, we all love open source models, but what about completely decentralized AI? Rather than leaving the big decision-making in the hands of a few elite CEOs, shouldn’t users have a say — and potentially even a stake — in how this incredible technology develops?
On TWiST, we welcome Ala Shaabana of Crucible Labs, one of the co-founders of Bittensor. It’s an open-source protocol powering a blockchain-based machine learning network. What does that mean? Users mine a crypto token — $TAO — but rather than using up their compute on solving extremely long equations, they devote it to actually powering a range of innovative AI apps (aka subnets).
Plus we’ve got Mark Jeffrey, co-founder of the Bittensor Fund Stillcore Capital, to show us some of his favorite subnet projects, and walk us through how he trained his AI agent to mine crpyto.
All that AND two amazing new OpenClaw demos.
Mark Jeffrey: https://x.com/markjeffrey
Stillcore Capital: https://stillcorecapital.com/
Ala Shaabana (Crucible Labs): https://x.com/CrucibleLabs
Michael Ryaboy (Setup Claw): https://setupclaw.com/
Pete and Maddie Reese (Bizzby AI): https://bizzby.ai/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro01:28 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!04:11 The booming intersection of crypto, and AI agents05:49 Mark Jeffrey joins the show!06:13 Bittensor explained — how TAO subsidizes AI products07:37 Mark’s top Bittensor projects00:10:40 https://Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io.00:12:20 How subnet tokens work00:17:34 How the Crucible Labs wallet simplifies subnet token allocation00:19:33 https://Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist00:22:42 The importance of private inference and encrypted AI prompts00:29:36 Wispr Flow: Stop typing. Dictate with Wispr Flow and send clean, final-draft writing in seconds. Visit https://wisprflow.ai/twist to get started for free today.00:33:07 How AI is restoring old movies and media!00:40:57 SetUpClaw’s “set it and forget it” AI agents00:45:50 https://Ro.co: Ro’s insurance checker will let you know if your coverage includes GLP-1s for FREE. Go to https://Ro.co/Twist for your free insurance check.00:54:35 “Off-duty” with Lon and Jason
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/
Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | All right, everybody, welcome back to Twist. |
| 0:01.9 | It is Friday. |
| 0:02.7 | It is March 6th. |
| 0:03.5 | It is 2026 or in the year of our overlords, A.041, which stands for Lon Harris. |
| 0:12.1 | Oh, it's after OpenClaw. |
| 0:13.9 | It's 41 days since we first discussed OpenClaw on the show, A041. |
| 0:21.0 | This Week in Startups is brought to you by WhisperFlow. |
| 0:24.7 | Stop typing. |
| 0:25.9 | Dictate with Whisperflow and send clean final draft writing in seconds. |
| 0:30.0 | Visit whisperflow.a-i-slash-Twist to get started for free today. |
| 0:34.5 | That's WISPRFlow.A.I.S.P.R.F2.2.2.2.2. Building a great team is essential to any |
| 0:41.3 | business. Lemon is a marketplace of vetted, experienced engineers ready to take your company to the next level. |
| 0:47.9 | Get 15% off your first four weeks of developer time at lemon.io slash twist. every for all your incorporation, banking, payroll, |
| 0:58.2 | benefits, accounting, taxes, or other back office administration needs, visit every.io. |
| 1:07.0 | We've said AOC for a while, but that's already somebody's initial. |
| 1:11.3 | Yeah, we can't go with AOC. |
| 1:12.6 | I like AOC personally as the designation, but we'll go A.O. 41. |
| 1:18.8 | It rolls off the tongue. |
| 1:21.2 | And, you know, there's so much going on in my world right now, Lon, so much that I need to keep track of things. |
| 1:29.3 | My mind runs. It just races. My mind is racing now because there's so much going on in the |
| 1:34.5 | industry. I'm doing four or five podcasts a week. So you know how I keep track of all this? |
| 1:40.4 | I think I do. This little pin here. I have a applaud pin and I I have to applaud, applaud, because I just press this button at the start. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jason Calacanis, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jason Calacanis and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.