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Could Satoshi Nakamoto be Peter Pan? Oops... Peter Todd?
By Daniele Corno
Cullen Hoback's documentary claims to have revealed the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto: Peter Todd would be the candidate. It's already funny as it is
Satoshi's identity revealed? Or maybe not
For more than 15 years, the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, has remained one of the most fascinating and unsolved mysteries in the tech world.
However, a new documentary produced by HBO, Electric Money: The Bitcoin Mystery, sheds new light on the story, suggesting that Peter Todd, a software developer active since the early days of Bitcoin, may be the real Nakamoto. Definitely a strategic way of marketing.
Todd, 39, is known in the community for his contribution to the development of Bitcoin’s code base, but he has never been part of the small group of prime candidates suspected of being Nakamoto. According to Hoback’s report, Todd, at the age of 23, single-handedly set up one of the largest technology and payment infrastructures of the modern era.
The “evidence”
The documentary, directed by Cullen Hoback, explores a series of (embarrassing) pieces of evidence linking Todd to Nakamoto.
One of these is a 2010 post on a forum dedicated to Bitcoin, where Todd responds to a comment by Nakamoto himself, apparently correcting a mistake. According to Hoback, this exchange suggests that Todd could have forgotten to change accounts, leaving a clue to his dual identity. Skills in security, privacy, cryptography, knowledge of money and then forgetting to change the account on a forum, always very credible.
According to Forbes, HBO will say that @peterktodd is Satoshi…
The Forbes article states that "a 2010 BitcoinTalk post replying to Satoshi Nakamoto that [Cullen] Hoback believes was accidentally posted using Todd's profile"
This is clearly ridiculous! It is just an example of… pic.twitter.com/mjFnHn7Zak
— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) October 8, 2024
Another key element concerns the large amount of Bitcoin that Nakamoto allegedly still holds. Hoback links a statement by Todd about “sacrificing” a significant amount of Bitcoin to the mysterious block of 1.1 million BTC never moved from Nakamoto’s wallets.
I AM NOT SATOSHI
Despite the speculation, Todd adamantly denies that he is Satoshi. In a recent email, he reiterated, “For the record, I am not Satoshi.”
In addition, Todd criticizes the documentary for a lack of more in-depth research, including the absence of interviews with friends and family members from the time Bitcoin was being born.
Although Hoback does not offer the slightest conclusive evidence to support his thesis, the documentary reopens a discussion that has fascinated investors, developers, and the curious for years, still leaving open the question: who is Satoshi Nakamoto really? The answer perhaps, is that this question may never be answered.
