Man refutes claims of being the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin.

 Man refutes claims of being the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin.

A new documentary claims to have unveiled the biggest mystery in cryptocurrency: the true identity of Bitcoin's creator. Since its launch in 2009 by the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto, speculation has swirled about who that might be. The HBO film now points to Canadian crypto expert Peter Todd as the answer. However, Todd has dismissed the theory as "ludicrous." In *Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery*, filmmaker Cullen Hoback confronts Todd with evidence linking him to the trillion-dollar invention, which Todd laughs off, asserting, "I am not Satoshi Nakamoto" in a recent post on X.

### Enormous Wealth

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The intrigue surrounding Satoshi Nakamoto stems not only from the mystery of their identity but also from the immense wealth they have amassed. If Satoshi still controlled their Bitcoin wallet, it would be valued at approximately $69 billion today, making them one of the world's richest individuals.

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Peter Todd, a prominent Bitcoin developer credited with numerous innovations in the cryptocurrency, has not been previously identified as a leading candidate for Satoshi in the ongoing quest to uncover the Bitcoin inventor's true identity. There is significant interest in this latest theory, evidenced by over $44 million in bets placed on crypto betting site Polymarket ahead of the documentary’s release, speculating on who the film would name as Satoshi.

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Filmmaker Cullen Hoback, known for investigating anonymous figures like Q from QAnon, claims to have reached his conclusion after years of research and interviews. One piece of evidence he presents is a forum post from Todd that appears to continue a discussion initiated by Satoshi. Additionally, Todd once stated online that he had deliberately destroyed a large number of digital coins.

A prevalent theory suggests that Satoshi intentionally destroyed access to a massive stash of the original bitcoins, which now remain unspent. This reserve of 1.1 million coins constitutes about 5% of all bitcoins, reflecting Satoshi's original plan to limit the total supply to 21 million.

However, Todd argues that his posting history shows he was not involved, claiming he was "too busy with school and work" to be Satoshi.

### Previous Theories

Various individuals in the tech community have been proposed as potential creators of Bitcoin. In 2014, a Newsweek article identified Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American man in California, as Satoshi, but he denied the claim, which has since been largely discredited.

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In 2015, Wired and Gizmodo pointed to Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who later claimed to be Satoshi and provided what he described as evidence. However, the community largely dismissed his assertions, and a UK High Court judge ultimately ruled there was "overwhelming" evidence that he is not Satoshi.

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk also denied being behind Bitcoin after a former SpaceX employee suggested he might be. For many influential voices in the Bitcoin community, the anonymity of Satoshi adds to the appeal and power of the decentralized currency. Adam Black, a core developer and another potential candidate for Satoshi, posted on X before the documentary's release, stating, "No one knows who Satoshi is. And that's a good thing."