HBO documentary suggests Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is software developer Peter Todd
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The pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin has not been heard from for years.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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Portland, Oregon – A new HBO documentary about the origins of Bitcoin suggests that Mr Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the original cryptocurrency, is likely Canadian software developer Peter Todd.
The 100-minute film, Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, on Oct 8 features interviews with a handful of people involved with Bitcoin from early on, including long-time Nakamoto candidate Adam Back, investor Roger Ver, Bitcoin marketer Samson Mow and Mr Todd.
The documentary’s creator Cullen Hoback used circumstantial evidence such as postings from an early Bitcoiner forum, to guess that Mr Todd is Mr Nakamoto.
When confronted, Mr Todd shrugged off the idea, and called the suggestion “ludicrous”. Like several people in the film, he said, at one point, “I am Satoshi Nakamoto” while seemingly laughing the idea off.
Who exactly Mr Nakamoto is – a person or a group – has been much speculated upon since Bitcoin’s launch in January 2009. The cryptocurrency has since burst into the mainstream, becoming part of US exchange-traded funds that hold billions of dollars’ worth of the token.
Over the years, various publications have suggested a variety of people were Mr Nakamoto. In 2014, Newsweek claimed he was physicist Dorian Nakamoto, which he denied.
In 2015, the New York Times pointed the finger at computer scientist Nick Szabo.
Australian Craig Wright famously proclaimed himself to be Mr Nakamoto, until a British judge ruled he was not Bitcoin’s creator.
Mr Todd is listed as an applied cryptography consultant on developer platform GitHub, which says he is based in Toronto.
A LinkedIn profile for someone of the same name lists him as “Chief Naysayer” at Bitcoin security provider Coinkite, chief scientist at anonymising wallet service Dark Wallet and chief scientist at project Mastercoin.
He graduated with a bachelor of arts in integrated media from OCAD University in 2011, according to the LinkedIn profile.
A white paper outlining Bitcoin came out in 2008, while the Bitcoin network came online in 2009. Mr Todd has been discussed as a possible Mr Nakamoto for years.
Even though Mr Nakamoto has not been heard from since 2011, he or they continue to be of importance. Mr Nakamoto’s wallets hold around one million Bitcoin, worth about US$62.4 billion (S$81.4 billion) at current prices.
Any moves by the Bitcoin creator could crash the price. However, the creator’s tokens have not moved in many years.
The creator’s identity could also have a profound impact on governments’ and corporations’ willingness to continue to adopt the world’s biggest cryptocurrency. BLOOMBERG
