Has the Creator of Bitcoin Been Found?

A new documentary claims that the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, has been found. This HBO film raises some interesting questions, but has it solved the case?

We know that the name Satoshi is a pseudonym and that the real identity of the Bitcoin creator has remained a carefully guarded secret. No one with any valid claim has come forward to reveal themselves as the real Satoshi. Some have come with false claims of being the hidden figure, but their claims have never been able to be substantiated.

Whoever Satoshi is, he is one of the richest men in the world. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency ever made, and it was released in 2009. Satoshi worked on Bitcoin for the next two years and then stepped away, never to be heard from again. The new documentary, called Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, makes a compelling case for the identity of Satoshi to be revealed as a matter of public interest.

The film, directed by Cullen Hoback, says that the real Satoshi has already been found- Bitcoin developer Peter Todd. But Todd denies it and says the idea is ludicrous. He said when he read the whitepaper for Bitcoin that he was upset he had not thought of coming up with it first.

Over the years, a number of people have come forward saying they are Satoshi, and others have been fingered as the Bitcoin creator. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been named, but he denies that claim as well.

Why Does It Matter?

As with any mystery, people like some resolution. To be able to figure out the absolutely biggest mystery in cryptocurrency would be a big win for anyone, much less a documentary maker. The same filmmaker, Hoback, previously claimed to have uncovered the real identity of hacker Q from the activist hacking group Q Anon.

If the Bitcoin creator still has control of his original digital wallet, then he would own approximately $69 billion, making him one of the richest people in the world. In fact, it would place him among the top 25 wealthiest, and that would certainly make for quite a story.  For now, there is no definitive proof that the founder of Bitcoin has been uncovered, and one of the most likely suspects, Peter Tood, categorically denies that it is him. The HBO documentary may claim to have discovered the true identity, but the evidence is not yet compelling enough to make a definitive case.