BBCBitcoin underpins the two-trillion-dollar cryptocurrency industry, which is now traded by the world’s largest investors and is even a official currency in a country.
But despite its meteoric rise, a deep mystery remains at its heart: what is the true identity of its founder, the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto?
Many people have tried to answer that question but so far all have failed. In October, one famous HBO documentary suggested that a Canadian bitcoin expert named Peter Todd was him. The only problem: he said it wasn’t, and the crypto world has largely ignored it.
So sure enough, our newsroom – and the crypto world at large – had ears open when on Thursday, the call went out that the mysterious creator of Bitcoin would finally be revealed. in a press conference.
There is intense interest in who Satoshi Nakamoto is in part because they are considered a revolutionary programmer who helped create the cryptocurrency industry.
Their voices, perspectives and worldviews will be extremely influential on an industry with such a dedicated and passionate fan base.
But the appeal also stems from the fact that, as the holder of more than a million bitcoins, Satoshi would have been a billionaire, especially since the coin’s price is currently near an all-time high. grand.
Given his vast fortune, it was a bit unusual for the organizer of Thursday’s press conference to ask to pay for my seat at his grand unveiling.
A front row seat will cost £100. It would be £50 more if I wanted unlimited questions. Organizer Charles Anderson even encouraged me to spend £500 in exchange for the privilege of interviewing “Satoshi” on stage.
I refused.
Mr. Anderson said I could come along anyway but warned that there might not be room for me, such was the level of expectations.
As it happened, seating was not an issue.
Only about a dozen reporters arrived at the prestigious Frontline Club – which interrupted proceedings at one point to emphasize that it was only offering a spot and not any official endorsement.
Very quickly, it became clear that everyone in attendance was extremely skeptical.
After some digging, both the organizer and Satoshi are now embroiled in a complicated legal battle over allegations of fraud – related to claims of being Satoshi.
It was an unpromising start and things only got worse from there.
Mr. Anderson invited “Satoshi” on stage.
A man named Stephen Mollah, who had been sitting silently all this time stepped up and firmly stated: “I am here to declare that yes: I am Satoshi Nakamoto and I created Bitcoin on Blockchain technology ”.
Over the next hour, reporters turned from amused to irritated when he failed to provide any of the promised evidence for his claims.
Mr. Mollah promised that he would make a Hail-Mary move to unlock and interact with the first Bitcoins ever created – something only Satoshi could do.
But he didn’t.
I left, along with the other stunned reporters, carrying with me any lingering doubts that this would prove to be another dead end in the effort to expose Satoshi.
Not another one
The list of people identified – unsuccessfully – as Satoshi Nakamoto is long.
In 2014, a famous Newsweek article said it was Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American man living in California.
But he denied it and the claim was largely dismissed.
A year later, Australian computer scientist Craig Wright was called Satoshi by reporters.
He denied it before saying it was true – but then failed to produce any evidence for years.
in spring The High Court in London has ruled that Mr. Wright was not the inventor.
ReutersTech billionaire and cryptocurrency enthusiast Elon Musk also denied he was behind the cryptocurrency after a former employee at one of his companies, SpaceX, hinted at it.
This brings us to the question: does it really matter?
The current valuation of the cryptocurrency market means it is worth more than Google. And it seems inconceivable that the tech giant plays such an important role in our lives without anyone knowing who founded it and owns a large portion of the company.
Perhaps there was a good reason why Satoshi actually kept the schtum. Those bitcoins would make them worth an estimated $69 billion, and their lives and personalities would certainly come under scrutiny if they were found.
Peter Todd, who the HBO documentary dubbed Satoshi, said the unwanted attention he received made him fear for his safety.
Many in the crypto world are interested to know that the mystery remains unsolved.
“No one knows who Satoshi is and that’s a good thing,” Adam Back, one of its core developers (and another potential Satoshi candidate) posted on X recently.
Natalie Brunell, a Bitcoin podcaster, argues that Satoshi’s anonymity was not only intentional but necessary.
“By concealing his true identity, Satoshi ensured that Bitcoin would not have a leader or central figure whose personal agenda could influence the protocol,” she told me. .
“This allows people to trust Bitcoin as a system, instead of placing their trust in an individual or company.”
Carol Alexander, a finance professor at the University of Sussex – who teaches the history of Bitcoin – was less certain.
In her view, the story surrounding who Satoshi Nakamoto has distracted people from looking at – and grasping – the more serious question of how cryptocurrencies could change the way the economy works. international.
When I left the Frontline Club, it was difficult to calculate this bizarre press event beyond the obvious.
For now – and perhaps forever – the search for Satoshi continues.
