Who is Satoshi Nakamoto, The Mysterious Creator of Bitcoin?
Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonym used by the unknown person or group of people who created the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin; but despite years of speculation and investigation, their true identity remains a mystery - so, who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
As most of us know, Bitcoin is a digital asset that was developed to use cryptography, not a central authority. In 2007, the code for the first cryptocurrency came to be. On August 18, 2008, the domain Bitcoin.org was registered, and then in November of the same year, the “white paper” of the protocol was published. On January 3, 2009, the Bitcoin network was created after Satoshi Nakamoto, the entity behind the cryptocurrency, mined the genesis block (block 0), which contained 50 bitcoins.
In an era where information is widely distributed, Satoshi Nakamoto managed to keep his identity a secret. If Satoshi is a single person, he owns approximately 5% of the total number of BTC, which ranks him among the richest people in the world. Nakamoto is estimated to hold 980,000 BTC.
In this article, we have compiled a list of people who are speculated to be the creator of the Bitcoin protocol.
Craig Wright
Craig Wright is one of the main suspects behind the Satoshi Nakamoto alias. He is an Australian academic, computer engineer, and entrepreneur. In 2015, Gizmodo received an anonymous email from an individual who claimed to know that Wright was Satoshi and that he worked for him.
Shortly after Wired broke this news on December 8 of that year, the Australian Federal Police raided Craig Wright’s home. In time, he deleted all of his online profiles until May 2016, when he revealed that he was, in fact, the creator of Bitcoin and claimed to have proof but ultimately did not produce it, which wrote him off as who he claimed to be.
Hal Finney
He is another potential candidate for the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. Finney has been a pioneering cryptographer since before the creation of Bitcoin and is the second person (after Nakamoto) to use this software, give bug reports and suggest improvements. He was also the first person to receive the cryptocurrency stating in an interview, “I am the first recipient of a Bitcoin transaction, with Satoshi sending ten tokens to me as a test.”
READ MORE: Bitcoin Price Soars Amid SVB Collapse
It is speculated that Finney was involved in the creation of Bitcoin because of his correspondence with Nick Szabo and the fact that he lives only a few blocks away from Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto. At the time of his death, on August 28, 2014, only circumstantial evidence suggested that Hal Finney was the original Satoshi Nakamoto.
Dorian Prentice / Satoshi Nakamoto
Another possibility is a Japanese-American living in California named Dorian Prentice, whose birth name is Satoshi Nakamoto. In a March 2014 Newsweek article, Leah McGrath Goodman first pointed to Nakamoto’s training as a physicist at Cal Poli in Pomona and libertarian background as potential indicators of his identity.
The most significant evidence was his response to a question about Bitcoin: “I’m not involved in that anymore, and I can’t discuss it. It’s been passed on to other people. Now they are responsible. I have no connection anymore.”
This led to a wild media frenzy that even included a car chase. In a later interview, however, he retracted his previous stance, saying he misunderstood the reporter’s question, thinking it was related to his previous classified job as a military contractor.
Nick Szabo
One of the first speculations about the creator of Bitcoin was Nick Szabo, a decentralized currencies enthusiast, who made a post about “bit gold,” thought to be the precursor of the first cryptocurrency.
Performing a reverse textual analysis, internet researcher Sky Grey discovered dozens of unique phrases linking Szabo’s writing style to the original Bitcoin white paper. This evidence, however, is only circumstantial, and Szabo has repeatedly denied being the creator of the cryptocurrency.
David Kleiman
A popular choice in the forums is David Clayman, the best friend of Craig Wright, an Army veteran, paraplegic, and computer “wizard” who occasionally consulted national television networks about his computer forensics and security expertise.
According to a month-long Gizmodo investigation published in 2015, Kleiman may also have been heavily involved with Bitcoin. In separate investigations, documents and interviews obtained by Gizmodo and Wired show that Craig Wright, whose home and office were raided hours after the stories were published, repeatedly stated that he and Kleiman were part of the creation of Bitcoin.
Elon Musk
The tech entrepreneur behind SpaceX has denied the long-running rumor after a former SpaceX intern compared his writing style to that of Satoshi.
We can easily put the investor at the top of the list. He is the founder and CEO of major corporations like SpaceX and Tesla. Musk is also the man who wants to establish a human colony on Mars. The ambitious entrepreneur has been referred to as the modern-day Benjamin Franklin.
READ MORE: Bitcoin: Adoption S-Curve to Propel BTC Much Higher – PlanB
As blogger Sahil Gupta wrote, “Someone with a deep understanding of economics and cryptography wrote the 2008 Bitcoin white paper. Ellen had a background in econ and wrote production-level internet software for Zip2 and X.com/Paypal.”
Furthermore, Bitcoin’s source code is written in a programming language known as C++, which Musk is very familiar with. C++ is the programming language used by SpaceX employees.
The innovative entrepreneur vehemently denies being behind Bitcoin and claims to own only 0.25 bitcoins, which he acquired by mistake. Additionally, an artificial intelligence called EMMA has been looking at articles written by Musk and Nakamoto. After all, we’re talking about Elon Musk, which means nothing is entirely out of the realm of possibility, so there’s always a chance he could turn out to be Satoshi.
Back in 2021, Tesla revealed a $1.5 billion investment in Bitcoin and began to accept BTC payments. A few months later the company stopped accepting BTC and in July 2022 Tesla sold 75% of its Bitcoin holdings.
Shinchi Mochizuki
Mochizuki is a world-renowned mathematician specializing in number theory and geometry. He founded the branch of modern number theory called Anabelian geometry.
In 2013, an American academic named Ted Nelson claimed to believe that Mochizuki was Satoshi Nakamoto. Nelson’s claim is based largely on the fact that the mathematician is a genius and speaks English well enough to write the correspondence relating to the creator of Bitcoin.
The Japanese mathematician, however, has no documented experience as a software developer or any apparent motive for wanting to create an alternative form of currency. Furthermore, he has publicly stated that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto – Additionally, there is very little likelihood that he will turn out to be the creator of Bitcoin.
Professor Vili Lehdonvirta
Vili Ledonvirta is a Finnish economic sociologist whose topics of interest include the design and socio-economic impacts of digital markets and platforms.
He is also an associate professor at the Oxford Internet Institute. Lehdonvirta’s name came into the conversation about Satoshi when a British computer scientist named Michael Clear told a New Yorker reporter that the Finnish professor was responsible for creating Bitcoin. Before becoming a teacher, he was a video game programmer and studied virtual currencies. The doctor is also a member of Electronic Frontier Finland, a group that fights for online privacy.
At the time of Bitcoin’s creation, Lehdonvirta had no experience in cryptography or working with C++. Satoshi Nakamoto seems to be an expert in both fields.
Margaret Runchey
There is a great mystery surrounding the person known as Margaret Runchey. Her origins, current location, and just about everything else is unknown. Other than a few very interesting patents, there is almost no information about her.
In 2007, Runhcey patented what is known as “The Everything Model.” Like Bitcoin, Margaret’s model has a blockchain that allows assets, smart contracts, and miners to secure the network to play their role in the “Model of Everything.”
In fact, devices that sound an awful lot like offline wallets are mentioned as part of the concept.
As anyone familiar with Bitcoin and blockchain technology can see – there are definitely some similarities.
READ MORE: Circle to use Corporate Resources to Cover Reserves Shortfall after Silicon Valley Bank Shutdown
While the similarities between the “Model of Everything” and the technology behind Bitcoin are certainly notable, it doesn’t prove that Renchey is actually Satoshi Nakamoto. Unless more information about this elusive figure is obtained, it’s too difficult to conclude that she is the person behind Bitcoin.
Michael Clear
Michael Clear is an Irish computer scientist well-versed in cryptography and economics.
Joshua Davis, a New Yorker contributor who believed that Clear could be Satoshi, so eloquently said, “In 2008, he was named the greatest genius, and he was not yet a computer science graduate.”
The following year, Allied Irish Banks hired him to improve their currency trading software and co-authored an academic book on peer-to-peer technology. British spelling is used in the article. Clear was well-versed in economics, cryptography, and peer-to-peer networks. He had been programming since the age of ten and could code in various languages, including C++.
Davis also added that when he confronted Clear about being the man behind Bitcoin, he laughed but did not respond – just awkward silence.
On paper, Clear seems like a guy who could be the individual behind the creation of the most famous digital currency on the planet.
Clear publicly denies being Satoshi Nakamoto, telling Davis, “I’m not Satoshi. But even if I were, I wouldn’t tell you.” The Irishman also claims that he believes Professor Vili Lehdonvirta is Satoshi.
Other conjectures
CIA/NSA
A group called the CIA Project claims that Bitcoin is a creation of the CIA or National Security Agency. While the group provides “evidence,” such as that the name Satoshi Nakamoto roughly translates to “Central Intelligence Agency” in Japanese.
If you search the web, you will find that Satoshi is a common name meaning “clear thinking, quick mind, wise.” At the same time, Nakamoto is a Japanese surname meaning “central origin” or ” living in the middle,” as people with this surname are mostly found in the Ryukyu Islands, which is closely tied to a centralized kingdom originating in the Okinawa Islands.
So, the combination of Nakamoto and Satoshi can be interpreted as “Central Intelligence.”
The CIA Project also points to the fact that no one has ever met Satoshi Nakamoto in person, and there is no conclusive evidence to lead to his identification. Overall, this claim that US intelligence units were involved in the creation of Bitcoin is a purely conspiratorial idea that may never be proven.
A group of companies
Some Bitcoin users have jokingly suggested that Satoshi Nakamoto may actually be a group of four Asian tech companies: Samsung, Toshiba, Nakamichi, and Motorola. The name could be created by taking “sa” from Samsung, “toshi” from Toshiba, “naka” from Nakamichi and “moto” from Motorola.
Conclusion
To this day, there is no evidence of who the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, actually is – there is only conjecture and speculation. Any of the individuals mentioned above could be the genius behind this new technology, although all deny it.
But since Satoshi’s identity has not been revealed so far, it is clear that this is a purposeful and well-laid plan – in other words, the creator of Bitcoin clearly does not want to be found, and we will only find out when he decides. Until then, we can only guess.
Alexander Stefanov
Reporter at CoinsPress
Alex is an experienced finance journalist and a cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiast. With over five years of experience covering the industry, he deeply understands the complex and constantly evolving world of digital assets. His insightful and thought-provoking articles provide readers with a clear picture of the latest developments and trends in the market. His passionate approach allows him to break down complex ideas into accessible and insightful content. Follow up on his content to be up to date with the most important trends and topics - stay ahead of the curve with CoinsPress.
