The real identity of Satoshi Nakamotocreator of bitcoin, has always been a mystery. A recent HBO documentary brought together various information and evidence and its creators claimed to have found the solution.
According to these data, Satoshi Nakamoto is actually Peter Todd, an expert cryptography developer who has been very involved in the world of cryptocurrencies almost since the creation of bitcoin.
Apparently Todd had no idea that the documentary was intended to reveal Nakamoto’s real identity. When they contacted him to interview him, his impression was that the production was dedicated to the history of bitcoin.
In the documentary Todd ironically stated “I’m Satoshi”—an old meme of crypto believers—but in an immediately subsequent interview he made it clear that “of course I’m not Satoshi.”
In Wired he is quoted as saying that “I think Cullen (Hoback, the documentary’s director) made that accusation of Satoshi for marketing. He needed a way to generate attention for his film.” Hoback stands by his theory, stating that “although I obviously can’t say outright that it’s Satoshi, I think I made a very clear case.”
Whether Todd is Satoshi or not, one thing is certain: has disappeared.
The reason for its disappearance is logical. The documentary has caused emails to not appear to be reaching him. “At the moment, they are people asking for money.” In a conversation with Wired, Todd explained that, for example, one person sent him 25 messages in two days to help him pay a loan.
The developer has indicated that he expects “continued harassment by crazy people” from now on, and the implications for his personal safety have made him decide to disappear from the map.
“Obviously, falsely claiming that ordinary people are extraordinarily rich exposes them to threats such as robbery and kidnapping. The question is not only silly, but dangerous. It is obvious that Satoshi did not want to be found, for good reasons, and no one should help to the people trying to find Satoshi.”
For Hoback, this statement is exaggerated, and he affirms that revealing the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto is something in the public interest. The evidence he included in his documentary is in no way conclusive, and was mostly circumstantial.
Todd even sent photos of himself to Wired as proof that he was skiing or caving when Satoshi posted some messages on the forums. He himself recognizes that denying the accusation is not enough.
If someone assumes that Satoshi was sophisticated enough, he explains, “any theory is possible. The question is useless, because Satoshi would simply deny it.” Which is, logically, what Todd is doing.
Image | warren
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