Deepshikha Maan, Jadetimes Staff
D. Maan is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment
New Documentary Claims to Reveal Bitcoin's Mysterious Inventor, Peter Todd Denies Allegations
A new documentary has sparked interest by claiming to have uncovered the true identity of Bitcoin's enigmatic creator, a mystery that has fascinated the crypto world since the digital currency’s inception in 2009 by someone using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
The HBO film, *Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery*, suggests that Canadian crypto expert Peter Todd is the mind behind Bitcoin. However, Todd has rejected the claim as "ludicrous" and criticized the documentary's conclusions.
In the film, director Cullen Hoback confronts Todd with evidence pointing to him as the inventor of the now trillion-dollar cryptocurrency. Todd laughs off the suggestion, dismissing it as baseless.
The Wealth Behind the Mystery
The fascination surrounding Satoshi’s identity is not just about their anonymity but also the vast wealth they have accumulated. If Satoshi still controls the original Bitcoin wallet, it would be valued at around $69 billion, placing them among the world's 20 richest individuals.
Peter Todd, a well-known Bitcoin developer credited with several innovations, had never been a prime suspect in previous attempts to unmask the creator of the cryptocurrency. Nevertheless, this latest effort has generated massive interest, with more than $44 million placed in bets on the crypto betting site Polymarket, speculating on who the documentary would identify as Satoshi.
Hoback, known for his previous work investigating anonymous figures like Q from QAnon, claims to have arrived at his conclusion after years of research. One of his key pieces of evidence is a forum post from Todd that appeared to continue a previous post by Satoshi. Another is Todd’s admission of destroying a large number of digital coins, which aligns with the theory that Satoshi intentionally destroyed access to his own Bitcoin stash.
Satoshi’s untouched wallet holds 1.1 million bitcoins, worth billions today, but these coins have never been moved or spent, representing 5% of the total 21 million bitcoins that will ever exist.
Todd Denies the Claims
Peter Todd argues that Hoback’s conclusions are based on coincidences and misinterpretations of his online activities. "I am not Satoshi," Todd said, adding that his first reaction upon reading the Bitcoin whitepaper was, "Dammit! I should have thought of that." Todd also mentioned he has had to move due to safety concerns, fearing potential attacks from criminals who may believe the claims.
Previous Theories on Satoshi’s Identity
Several individuals have previously been suspected of being Satoshi Nakamoto. In 2014, Newsweek named Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American man from California, but he denied the claim, which was eventually debunked. In 2015, both Wired and Gizmodo pointed to Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who later publicly declared himself as Satoshi. However, his claims were largely dismissed, and a UK High Court judge eventually ruled that there was overwhelming evidence that Wright is not Satoshi.
Even tech billionaire Elon Musk was briefly rumored to be behind Bitcoin, a claim he denied after it was suggested by a former SpaceX employee.
For many in the cryptocurrency community, preserving Satoshi’s anonymity is seen as crucial to Bitcoin’s decentralized nature. Adam Back, another prominent Bitcoin developer and potential Satoshi candidate, remarked, "No one knows who Satoshi is, and that's a good thing."
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