HBO’s long-awaited documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” has just debuted with the promise of revealing the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto. It appears to have succeeded in solving many of the mysteries surrounding Bitcoin’s creator and fueling some other speculation.
A new HBO documentary claims to have found the answer, but the man named is denying it. Peter Todd, a Bitcoin Core developer, has been identified as the possible creator of BTC. However, his response has been a resounding denial.
Peter Todd's Epic Denial
Peter Todd, who was recently revealed to be Satoshi Nakamoto in HBO's Bitcoin documentary, sent it to X to respond to the issue. He simply wrote, "I am not Satoshi."
One X user even asked Todd how he felt after becoming an overnight sensation following his big announcements. The alleged Bitcoin creator replied, “I’ve done a lot of things in my life that have put me in the spotlight. It’s not the first time I’ve done it.” However, he added, “But this could be crazier than before. We’ll see!”
Speculation about Bitcoin’s founder has fueled countless theories over the years. So does the mystery persist, or did the documentary miss the mark? Most importantly, what about the billions of dollars in BTC under Nakamoto’s control?
As a prominent Bitcoin developer who worked with Satoshi before they went missing in 2010, Todd has been in the game for some time. Meanwhile, he has rarely been considered a prime suspect. At 23, Todd was likely finishing art school when the Bitcoin white paper was published. That timeline becomes strained when it comes to matching orders.
Todd is said to have revealed in a podcast that he was around 15 years old when he first interacted with the cypherpunk group.
HBO's claims are without merit
The HBO documentary delves into the history of Bitcoin and various cryptocurrency projects but fails to provide any solid evidence that Peter Todd is Satoshi. While the film covers the history of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency projects, it fails to provide concrete evidence to back up its grandiose claims.
Some evidence points to Todd’s early interest in cryptography and even his connection to Adam Back. It highlights a 2010 forum post in which Todd responded to Satoshi. Hoback suggests that the post was accidentally sent from Todd’s account instead of Satoshi’s and remains speculative.
The confrontation between Hoback and Todd in the film is rife with speculation as Todd dismisses the accusations, saying, "I admit you're pretty creative... It's ridiculous." He adds, "Of course I'm Satoshi. And I'm Craig Wright."