Bitcoin inventor unmasked? Is Peter Todd Satoshi Nakamoto?

Outcry over HBO documentary: Peter Todd designated as Bitcoin creator, but he denies.

In the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, a recent announcement by HBO caused quite a stir. In a new documentary, the American network claimed to reveal the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious founder of Bitcoin (BTC), to be revealed. Nakamoto, whose identity has been a mystery for years, is said to be none other than Canadian Bitcoin developer Peter Todd, according to HBO. This claim created a storm of reaction, especially after Todd himself publicly denied the allegations.

Peter Todd and the HBO documentary

In the documentary, titled Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, Todd is identified as the creator of Bitcoin. HBO, which conducted extensive research into the origins of the crypto currency, claims to have gathered evidence linking Todd to Nakamoto. According to the documentary, Todd allegedly launched the Bitcoin network in 2009 and did so completely anonymously.

The "evidence" pointing to Todd

One of the most talked about moments in the documentary is a statement made by Todd himself. In a confrontational interview, Todd says, "Well, I am Satoshi Nakamoto," which to many sounded like a confession. However, this quote is not without context. Todd has been known to joke about his supposed identity as Satoshi, such as in a 2019 podcast episode where he said, "I'm Satoshi, just like everyone else." In the same podcast, Todd mentioned that he made his first Bitcoin purchase when the coin was only worth $0.20.

In addition, the documentary refers to a chat message in which Todd describes himself as "the world's leading expert on sacrificing your bitcoins." Hoback interpreted this as a subtle acknowledgement that Todd may have had access to the 1.1 million Bitcoins attributed to Nakamoto, with a current value of over $69 billion. According to the documentary filmmaker, however, that access has been permanently blocked.

There were some circumstantial clues, such as Todd's interest in cryptography from a young age, his relationship with Adam Back (who was in contact with Satoshi via e-mail at the time), his technical skills and the fact that Satoshi used both British and Canadian spelling, while Todd is from Canada. The most tangible evidence in the film was based on a 2010 forum post in which Todd responded to a post by Satoshi. Hoback claimed that Todd's response was actually a continuation of Satoshi's post, but was accidentally sent from an account with Todd's name instead of Satoshi's.

Still, the documentary did not come to the definitive conclusion that Todd was actually Satoshi. Even the final confrontation between Hoback and Todd - a clip of which had previously been leaked on social media - remained speculative.

Peter Todd denies allegations

Despite HBO's hefty claims, Todd stands by his denial. After the launch of the documentary, he spoke out publicly on social media, where he stated that he is not the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. When asked for clarification on his so-called confession, Todd simply replied, "I am not Satoshi."

Before the documentary was released, Todd had shared his own theory about why the real creator of Bitcoin would want to remain anonymous. He suggested that the name "Satoshi Nakamoto" may have been chosen to give the project credibility. "Now what if the real reason for using the name Satoshi was so that people would take Bitcoin seriously? So that they could believe it was created by a real cryptographer and not a kid still in school?" said Todd.

A mystery that persists

Although the HBO documentary caused a stir, Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity is still shrouded in mystery. Peter Todd continues to deny, and many in the crypto community consider the documentary's claims speculative. For now, the question of who the founder of Bitcoin really is remains unanswered - a question that, until there is definitive proof, will continue to fascinate the world of cryptocurrency for a long time to come. In addition, other major parties, such as BitMEX, clearly also disagree with the documentary's conclusion.