Mysterious Bitcoin creator sparks speculation again

Since the birth of Bitcoin, the true identity of its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been one of the biggest mysteries in the cryptocurrency world. Recently, with the announcement of HBO’s upcoming documentary (Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery), the discussion about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has heated up again. Among them, a late American cryptographer and information security expert named Leonard Harris "Len" Sassaman has become the focus of speculation.

Len Sassaman is an important figure in the American cyberpunk movement and a pioneer in privacy and encryption technology. He died in 2011 at the age of 31. The HBO documentary is directed by director Cullen Hoback, who claimed to have exposed the author of the QAnon conspiracy theory in the miniseries (Q: Into the Storm). This time, Hoback announced that he was tracking another person who mysteriously disappeared, hinting that he was looking for the founder of Bitcoin.

Further reading
Found Satoshi Nakamoto? HBO Bitcoin documentary will be broadcast, experts: the real face may be him

Len Sassaman's Life and Contributions

Len Sassaman was born on April 9, 1980. He showed his talent for programming since childhood. At 18, he took a position on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the organization responsible for building the infrastructure of the modern Internet. In 1999, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, California, where he became an active member of the cyberpunk community and participated in the famous Cyberpunk mailing list, where Satoshi Nakamoto first announced Bitcoin.

Afterwards, Sassaman went to the famous university KU Leuven in Belgium, where he studied under the famous cryptographers David Chaum and Bart Preneel. He conducts research in the Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography Research Group (COSIC) and has made important contributions to the cryptography and privacy-enhancing technology industries. He co-developed the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) software and its updated version GNU Privacy Guard, and founded the SaaS startup Osogato with his wife Meredith Patterson.

However, Sassaman struggled with depression and ultimately committed suicide on July 3, 2011. His death was encoded in block 138725 of the Bitcoin blockchain with an obituary describing him as "a friend, a kind soul and a cunning mastermind."

Click here to read more about the life of (Len Sassaman).

Why do some people think he is Satoshi Nakamoto?

One of the reasons for the many speculations linking Sassaman to Satoshi Nakamoto is that the time of his death coincided with the disappearance of Satoshi Nakamoto. Satoshi Nakamoto sent his last email on April 23, 2011, stating that he had "moved on to other things" and then disappeared from public view. Sassaman died two months later.

Source: Cointelegraph Satoshi Nakamoto’s last email on April 23, 2011

Additionally, Sassaman’s close collaboration with early Bitcoin developer Hal Finney has fueled speculation. Sassaman worked with Finney on PGP at Network Associates, strengthening their ties in the crypto industry. Finney was the first person to run a Bitcoin node and receive a Bitcoin transfer, and he had extensive email exchanges with Satoshi Nakamoto.

Sassaman's expertise in anonymous remailers is one of the reasons for speculation that he may be Satoshi Nakamoto. Anonymous forwarders are considered a precursor to Bitcoin, allowing users to transmit information without revealing their identity. Blockstream CEO Adam Back has said that Satoshi Nakamoto may be an anonymous forwarder developer.

Image source: Bitcoin.com Sassaman anonymous forwarding technology (remailer) architecture

In addition, Sassaman lived in Belgium during the development of Bitcoin, which is consistent with Satoshi Nakamoto's writing style using British English, such as using words such as "bloody difficult", "flat", and "maths". Bitcoin’s genesis block also contains UK (The Times) headlines, hinting that the developers may be located in Europe.

Response from family and community

Despite these speculations, Sassaman's widow Meredith Patterson said in 2021 that to her knowledge, Sassaman was not Satoshi Nakamoto. She posted a message on social media to clarify this point and asked everyone to respect the privacy of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the crypto community remains divided over whether Sassaman is Satoshi Nakamoto. Some people believe that he has the necessary technical knowledge and connections and may be a member of the team; while others believe that this is just speculation and lacks substantive evidence.

Source: X Sassaman’s widow Meredith Patterson said in 2021 that her husband was not Satoshi Nakamoto

Can an HBO documentary shed light on the mystery?

HBO's documentary (Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery) will premiere on October 8, 2024. Whether director Cullen Hoback can reveal the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has aroused widespread attention and discussion. Some betting sites, such as Polymarket punters, offer odds as high as 44.5% on the possibility that Sassaman is Satoshi Nakamoto.

Source: Polymarket Most netizens voted that Sassaman is Satoshi Nakamoto

However, some people question whether the documentary can really solve this mystery that has lasted for more than ten years. Regardless of the outcome, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto may not be that important. What is more important is that the Bitcoin he created has had a profound impact on the global financial system.

All in all, Len Sassaman, as an outstanding cryptographer and privacy advocate, has made important contributions to the technology and information security industry, whether he is Satoshi Nakamoto or not. His story once again reminds us that the development of science and technology is inseparable from the pioneers who devote themselves silently, and their influence will continue.