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British cryptographer rejects Satoshi Nakamoto claims
Adam Back, a leading Bitcoin developer, has dismissed suggestions he is the elusive creator of the digital currency, calling a recent New York Times investigation a case of "confirmation bias."
The enduring mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto
The true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin, remains one of the internet's most persistent enigmas. Back has faced repeated accusations over the years but firmly denied them in a statement to the BBC on X (formerly Twitter).
"I'm not Satoshi, but I was early in recognizing the societal potential of cryptography, online privacy, and digital cash."
Adam Back, Bitcoin developer
NYT investigation draws parallels
John Carreyrou's New York Times article compared Back's emails and online activity to Satoshi's, noting striking similarities. The analysis highlighted that Back's disappearance from Bitcoin forums coincided with Satoshi's vanishing act after publishing the cryptocurrency's foundational white paper.
Back countered the claim on X, arguing he was actively engaged in forum discussions during Satoshi's peak activity. He attributed the overlapping patterns to "coincidence and shared interests among early cryptography enthusiasts."
The billion-dollar question
The allure of Satoshi's identity extends beyond curiosity. If the creator still controls the original Bitcoin wallet-mined in 2009-its holdings would be worth approximately $70 billion today, placing Satoshi among the world's wealthiest individuals. The wallet contains over a million Bitcoins, representing 5% of the total 21 million coins ever to be created.
Back joked on X about missing early mining opportunities, quipping, "Kicking myself for not mining in anger in 2009."
Previous claims and debunked theories
Back is not the first to be named as Satoshi. In 2024, an HBO documentary identified Canadian crypto expert Peter Todd, who dismissed the claim as "ludicrous" and provided evidence to refute it. The same year, British man Stephen Mollah held a London press conference asserting he was Satoshi, but his declaration was widely ignored.
Earlier attempts include a 2014 Newsweek article naming Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American engineer, who denied the allegation. In 2015, Wired and Gizmodo pointed to Australian computer scientist Craig Wright. Wright publicly claimed to be Satoshi but was later ruled not to be by a UK High Court judge. Back testified against Wright's assertions during the hearings.
The appeal of anonymity
For many in the Bitcoin community, Satoshi's anonymity reinforces the cryptocurrency's decentralized ethos. Back echoed this sentiment on X, stating he doesn't know Satoshi's identity and believes its secrecy "is good for Bitcoin."
