HBO documentary reveals Satoshi Nakamoto's identity and names crypto developer Peter Todd as the father of bitcoin, but he denies it
Even before the release of the documentaryMoney Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, HBO promised to reveal the real name of the creator of bitcoin. The question "Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?" has been the main mystery of the cryptocurrency world since its inception. The film premiered on 8 October, and the world found out who the film's authors have identified as the father of the most famous cryptocurrency. According to the screenwriters, it is Peter Todd, a well-known person in the world of cryptocurrencies and one of the web developers of Bitkoin Core. Peter Todd himself denies this: "I'm not Satoshi," he wrote in response in one of the Twitter discussions.
In another tweet, Peter Todd responded to a user's suggestion to stop the war if he had a million bitcoins:"If I had 1 million bitcoins, there would be many more drones in Ukraine."
What is known about Satoshi Nakamoto
Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonym of the person or group of people who created the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and published its source code in 2009. Nakamoto is also the author of a technical document entitled "Bitcoin White Paper: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", which describes the concept of a decentralised digital currency that operates without the involvement of central banks or intermediaries.
Nakamoto remained active in the cryptocurrency community until 2010, after which he disappeared from the public space, leaving the further development of Bitcoin to other programmers. It is not known who is actually hiding behind the pseudonym. There are numerous speculations and hypotheses about Nakamoto's identity. Some believe that it may be one person, while others believe that it is a group of people.
Currently, the addresses associated with the initial bitcoin transactions that may belong to Nakamoto contain about 1 million bitcoins, making him potentially one of the richest people in the world if these coins are ever sold (at the exchange rate at the time of this writing, it is $63 billion). The mystery surrounding Nakamoto's identity remains one of the biggest mysteries of the digital world.
Who is Peter Todd?
Peter Todd is a software developer and one of the key figures in the field of cryptocurrencies, in particular bitcoin. He has been actively involved in the development of the bitcoin network and is one of the leading developers and researchers in the field.
Todd specialises in security and decentralisation of blockchain technologies. He has advocated for strengthening the protection of the bitcoin network against various types of attacks, such as double-spending or attacks on the miner's network. In addition to his work on bitcoin, Todd has also worked on various cryptographic projects and solutions aimed at improving user privacy and security.
Peter Todd is known for his critical views on various technical aspects of blockchain and bitcoin-based technologies. He has repeatedly spoken out about the risks associated with the centralisation of mining and other potential threats to decentralised systems. In general, Todd has a significant influence on the formation of approaches to the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, continuing his work as an independent developer and consultant in this area.
What evidence does HBO provide?
The filmmakers' evidence is based on a screenshot where Peter Todd allegedly "forgot" to log in and posted under his own name instead of Satoshi Nakamoto's.
Reaction from the cryptocurrency world
For the most part, the reaction to the results of the HBO investigation is quite sceptical. For example, Washington Post reporterDrew Harwell said:
"If this is true, the Internet's biggest mystery has been solved by a classic forum fool."
BitMEX Research analysts called the assumption ridiculous
This is clearly ridiculous! This is just an example of Satoshi's response to Peter's sharp, meticulous and accurate comment.
Therefore, most likely, we are not dealing with the disclosure of the secrets of the cryptocurrency world, but with the hype around the personality of Satoshi Nakamoto.
Trailer of the scandalous film "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery":