A hotly awaited HBO documentary, “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” promised to shed new light on Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity. The film, created by Cullen Hoback, identified former Bitcoin core developer Peter Todd as the premier crypto’s elusive inventor.
However, like all previous ones, HBO’s attempt proved unfruitful, with Todd publicly denying the claim. After Hoback’s bombshell reveal on Todd, there was no shortage of criticism online, with many crypto insiders taking to X to blast the film’s incorrect conclusion. Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus (known online as Shibetoshi Nakamoto), posited, “It’s not Peter Todd bro.”
An X user asked, “Who’s Peter?”, to which Markus responded, “Not Satoshi unless you’re an idiot. He’s one of the more OG core devs but not the creator.” When pressed further by another user to reveal who he believes Satoshi is, Shibetoshi replied cryptically, “Someone who is not alive.”
This statement heightened speculation within the cryptosphere. Popular Dogecoin fan, going by the online alias Doge Whisperer, further asked, “If you had to make an educated guess, who would it be?” Markus answered astutely, “Hal Finney and friends.”
The Satoshi Nakamoto Mystery
Some crypto commentators, like Markus, believe that Hal Finney is Satoshi or a possible contributor to a group that referred to itself under the collective name. As you may already know, Finney is a cryptographer and an early Bitcoin adopter who was previously known for his important contributions to Bitcoin’s development and for being the first person to receive a BTC transaction. However, the legendary cypherpunk denied being Satoshi until his passing in 2014.
For years, journalists, bloggers, and filmmakers have tried to uncover Satoshi’s identity. So far, no one has been able to unmask the enigmatic creator. Yet the adoption of Bitcoin across the globe has continued unrelenting.
Money is a key factor in the constant speculation around Satoshi Nakamoto’s true identity. Satoshi is estimated to own a trove of untouched 1.1 million BTC, currently worth around $67 billion. Any indication that those coins are getting cashed out would definitely unnerve investors, sending Bitcoin’s price plummeting.
Satoshi has purposely remained anonymous since introducing Bitcoin in 2009 and the release of the now-famous white paper. Back in 2011, Satoshi said in his last known communication that he had moved on to other things, handing over the future of Bitcoin to developers and other participants.
That said, Satoshi is going to great lengths to conceal his or her identity, strengthening the top crypto’s decentralized ethos. Moreover, some pundits feel that Bitcoin is better off, with Satoshi’s identity remaining unsolved.
