The recent HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” has once again brought attention to the enigma surrounding the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
The film hinted that Peter Todd, a well-known developer for Bitcoin (BTC), could be Nakamoto, an assertion Todd forcefully rejected by stating unequivocally,
“I am not Satoshi.”
Despite Todd’s denial, the debate continues to rage on, with others now joining in and fueling more speculation about the mysterious figure responsible for the birth of BTC.
Could Dogecoin’s founder have uncovered the real Satoshi?
Amidst the recent buzz generated by HBO’s documentary, Billy Markus, the founder of Dogecoin (DOGE), shared his opinion on the identity of Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
He took to X (formerly Twitter) to refute the notion that Peter Todd might be the creator of BTC and clarified,
“He [Peter Todd] is one of the original core developers but not the creator.”
When asked about his thoughts on the true identity of Nakamoto, Markus did not hesitate to share his theory, stating,
“Hal Finney and his associates.”
This light-hearted response has added a new twist to the enduring mystery surrounding the origins of Bitcoin.
For those unfamiliar with him, Billy Markus, also known as Shibetoshi Nakamoto online, was an early figure in the world of cryptocurrency.
Together with Jackson Palmer, Markus launched DOGE in 2013, leveraging BTC’s codebase to create the now-famous meme coin.
Why did Billy Markus single out Hal?
Markus may have pointed to Hal Finney as a possible candidate for the creator of Bitcoin due to Finney’s significant reputation in cryptography and his early involvement with BTC.
For context, Finney, a respected computer scientist, was among the first users of Bitcoin and received its inaugural transaction of 10 BTC from Nakamoto on January 12, 2009.
His work on Reusable Proofs of Work (RPOW) and his contributions to the cypherpunk community lend credence to this hypothesis.
However, doubts persist as Finney has categorically denied any ties to Bitcoin’s creation and has even shared email exchanges and wallet details to dispel such claims.
Diagnosed with ALS in 2009, Finney’s deteriorating health would have made it arduous to sustain the rigorous development of Bitcoin.
While some observe similarities in his and Nakamoto’s writing styles, others note distinct differences in their communication and coding approaches.
Polymarket’s Take on Bitcoin’s Origins
With uncertainty surrounding the true identity of Bitcoin’s elusive founder, data from Polymarket leans towards “Not proven in Q4,” indicating that the mystery is likely to persist unresolved this quarter.
Meanwhile, BTC finds itself in a downtrend, trading at $61,181.41 after a 1.51% decline in the last 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap.