Choosing a reputable validator to delegate to is crucial, as they play a significant role in shaping the direction of the Bittensor protocol.

Validators in Bittensor are entities that generate tasks, assess the work produced by Subnet Miners, and allocate rewards to them based on the quality of their output.^[1]

Also the Validators are tasked with determining the allocation of $TAO (emissions) to each Subnet they choose to register with.

Only the top 64 validators with the most stake are granted a validator permit and are active. The stake needed to become one of these validators depends on the stake distribution among the current top 64.^[2]

Validators combine their own stake with the stake delegated to them by others to perform validation tasks. They earn daily rewards based on their total stake. After keeping a percentage for themselves, validators distribute the remaining rewards to those who delegated stake to them. By default, validators keep 18% of these rewards.^[3]

The list of active validators can be found on taostats.io

Official Bittensor Developer Documentation:

[1] https://docs.bittensor.com/learn/anatomy-of-incentive-mechanism#overview

[2] https://docs.bittensor.com/subnets/register-and-participate#validator-permit

[3] https://docs.bittensor.com/delegation