In 2009, the identity behind this name planted the seeds of an empire. Today, a single one of Satoshi’s digital coins are worth nearly $40,000 USD. Satoshi himself is worth about $40 billion today with about 1 million bitcoin (5% of the market) in his signature wallet. Strangely, no one has apparently claimed this or ever moved this money as no transactions are on record. There are many questions the world has pondered concerning these mysteries, but the first and most enduring enigma is the identity behind the name.
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
The name, whether a person or group, is a pseudonym that first appeared on Bitcoin’s birth document in 2008, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. This 9-page report details the plan of the first blockchain accountability system that empowered Bitcoin to gain trust and popularity.
Following the publishing of this paper, Satoshi was active in online correspondence with developers and programmers to improve the system until silencing in 2011. With a final short and sweet message, he shared he was moving on to other things.
Why might he be anonymous?
One intriguing theory postulates two hypotheses of good or bad intent on Satoshi’s behalf.
- The good Satoshi hypothesis optimistically hopes the Bitcoin creator philanthropically catalyzed something great and humbly walked away from the glory.
- The bad Satoshi hypothesis considers the worst case scenario where the Bitcoin creator, noticing his idea prospering, took his profit and escaped.
What is Satoshi capable of?
More than these, one possibility of great concern that should be minded by all Bitcoin investors is the size of Satoshi’s stake in the Bitcoin volume. His 5% (1 million bitcoin) power is massive and could tank the value of Bitcoin if his intentions were destructive. Once again, why hasn’t he seemed to touch any of his profits? Albeit, this potential harm would not promise total defeat to the market; there has been enough growth and trust in the system that investors can be confident in recovery given time and continued mining.
This mystery has kept the door open for many conspiracies— some more scandalous than others— as the world keeps an eye open for this mystery man who has yet to be known. Genius could be attributed to his evasion of exposure as he just may be a free man maintaining his privacy and peace.
What if his identity was revealed?
Almost 15 years since the release of Bitcoin, and with his reputation preceding him, many would eagerly welcome him as an iconic public figure, political leader, and even a spiritual guide for his impact on the globe’s aspirations for the future. Unfortunately, his appearance could just as well shatter the perception of Bitcoin’s decentralized differentiation from the market and cause too much attention to a known figurehead. Consequently, this could affect the price of Bitcoin and internal politics. Given all this time, it may be best to honor Satoshi’s absence for the good of the market he’s made.
Nonetheless, if you’re still curious as to who some popular suspects may be, here’s a short list of names for your investigation:
- Dorian Nakamoto
- Hal Finney
- Nick Szabo
- Paul Le Roux
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein