One late night in October 2024, in a quiet town in Canada, Peter Todd sat in front of his usual computer, his fingers tapping skillfully on the keyboard. On his desk was the code of the latest encryption project, and behind him were piles of technical books and research materials. Todd was a typical technology geek, immersed in his own world. He didn't take his eyes off the code until he received a message from a friend.
"Peter, you have to watch this new HBO documentary. You're in the headlines - being called Satoshi Nakamoto," the message was accompanied by a link.
Todd was stunned for a few seconds. He opened the link, and a moment later, a clip from the documentary (Electronic Currency: The Mystery of Bitcoin) appeared on the screen, with director Karen Hobeck claiming in front of the camera, "After in-depth investigation, we believe that Peter Todd may be the mysterious founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto."
Sudden accusation
The documentary details the origin story of Bitcoin and claims to have uncovered the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto. Hobeck's "chain of evidence" includes Todd's technical background, his father's identity as an economist, and his early contributions to the Bitcoin community. The documentary even claims that when Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper, Todd was only 23 years old, but he had already demonstrated extraordinary technical ability.
Todd's name then appeared in news headlines around the world. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has always been the biggest mystery in the cryptocurrency field. From the birth of Bitcoin to today, the 1.1 million bitcoins of this anonymous genius have never been transferred. If these bitcoins are used, it will have a huge impact on the global market. Being identified as Satoshi Nakamoto means not only having a huge symbol of wealth, but also being the focus of attention and suspicion.
Todd's reaction
In response to these accusations, Todd immediately spoke out on social media: "I solemnly declare that I am not Satoshi Nakamoto. This documentary is extremely irresponsible and has dragged my life into unfounded conspiracy theories."
Todd was angry and helpless. He wrote in a statement that director Hobeck's conclusion was entirely based on a series of "coincidences", such as his professional background, technical contributions and participation time, but ignored the most critical fact - he was not even in the earliest Bitcoin development team. He said: "If I were really Satoshi Nakamoto, I would have retired long ago and lived a carefree life instead of burying my head in writing code every day."
What worries Todd even more is that such accusations may threaten his safety. He explained: "Publicly pointing out that someone holds a huge amount of Bitcoin is almost putting him in a dangerous situation." He recalled the examples of cryptocurrency developers being hacked and even kidnapped in the early years, and felt deeply disturbed.
Response to the documentary
Once Hobeck's documentary was released, it immediately sparked heated discussions. Some people believed the director's conclusion that Todd was Satoshi Nakamoto, while others were skeptical, pointing out that the documentary lacked solid technical and logical evidence.
Todd is not the first time someone has been thought to be Satoshi Nakamoto. From Japanese-American engineer Dorian Nakamoto to Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright, every speculation about the identity of Nakamoto has been accompanied by noise and controversy. But the difference is that Todd has never been included in the list of suspects, and his name has not even appeared on any website's list of Satoshi Nakamoto candidates.
The "accusations" in the documentary have plunged Todd into unprecedented anxiety. He was originally a low-key technician who was keen on studying cryptography and blockchain technology, but now he has to face the media's relentless pursuit.
Return to the quiet days
In the weeks after the documentary was released, Todd's life was disrupted. His social media accounts received a lot of messages, some asking him if he was going to "admit" and some directly accusing him of "hiding". There were even calls from strange numbers trying to persuade him to disclose the identity of the founder of Bitcoin.
Todd denied all the allegations, but he did not stop working. He continued to study the code and optimize the security of Bitcoin every day. He said in an interview: "I care about the development of technology, not these conspiracy theories."
Perhaps Todd’s silent protest is the best response to all this. Just like the idea in the Bitcoin white paper, a decentralized world does not need a mysterious central figure to control everything.
Unsolved mysteries
As time went by, the excitement brought by the documentary gradually cooled down, and Todd gradually returned to a peaceful life. But the mystery of Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto has not been solved. Perhaps this is what Satoshi Nakamoto wanted. As he said in his earliest forum message:
“Bitcoin is not the creation of one person, it belongs to everyone.”
And Peter Todd is just one of the people who contributed to this world.
