Canadian Citizen Accused of Being ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’: Why Is Bitcoin’s Creator’s Identity Still a Mystery?
A new documentary claims to have solved one of the biggest mysteries in cryptocurrency: the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator.
The identity of Bitcoin’s creator has been an unsolved mystery since 2009, when an unknown individual or group introduced the digital currency under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Now, filmmakers behind an HBO documentary claim to have identified Satoshi Nakamoto as Canadian cryptography expert Peter Todd. However, Todd has dismissed these claims as “ridiculous.”
In the documentary In Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, filmmaker Cullen Hoback confronts Peter Todd with evidence and directly asks him if he is the creator of Bitcoin. Todd responds with laughter, later tweeting, “I am not Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Vast Wealth
The mystery surrounding Satoshi Nakamoto is not just about curiosity but also the immense wealth associated with the name. If Satoshi still controls the original Bitcoin wallet, they would currently hold $69 billion, making them the 20th richest person in the world.
Peter Todd is a prominent Bitcoin developer who has introduced significant innovations to the world’s first and largest cryptocurrency. However, Todd has never been publicly considered as Satoshi, despite years of speculation about the creator’s identity.
The release of this documentary has sparked immense interest. Even before its debut, $44 million in bets had been placed on cryptocurrency betting sites regarding who the documentary would name as Satoshi Nakamoto.
Filmmaker Hoback, who has previously investigated other mysterious figures, says years of research and interviews led him to conclude that Peter Todd is the real Satoshi Nakamoto.
According to Hoback, one piece of evidence is a forum post by Todd that he claims is linked to Satoshi’s earlier writings. Another clue is Todd’s past admission that he intentionally destroyed digital coins, which some believe aligns with theories that Satoshi deliberately destroyed the first Bitcoin coins ever created.
These “burned” 1.1 million Bitcoins hold enormous value today, but they remain unused and untransferred. These coins make up 5% of all Bitcoins, and Satoshi had decided early on that only 21 million Bitcoins would ever be created.
Todd denies having any role in Bitcoin’s creation, pointing out that his online history proves he was busy with school and work when Bitcoin was introduced.
Previous Theories on Satoshi Nakamoto
Over the years, many individuals from the digital world have been linked to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.
In 2014, Newsweek published an article claiming that a Japanese-American named Dorian Nakamoto was the creator of Bitcoin. However, Dorian denied the claim, and the article’s assertions were eventually disproven.
In 2015, both Wired and Gizmodo published investigations suggesting that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright was the inventor of Bitcoin. Shortly after, Wright gave interviews to outlets like the BBC, claiming to be Satoshi.
However, his claim was widely rejected by the cryptocurrency community, and a British court later ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove Wright was Satoshi Nakamoto.
In the past, Elon Musk was also rumored to be Satoshi Nakamoto, but he too denied these reports.
Leading Bitcoin developer Adam Back believes the mystery should remain unsolved: “No one knows who Satoshi is, and that’s a good thing.”
