Satoshi Nakamoto has committed suicide? HBO will expose the creator of Bitcoin, the most popular candidate Len Sassaman.

The American television network HBO will officially air the Bitcoin documentary "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery" on October 8th, which is said to reveal the true identity of Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. This film has also sparked betting markets on prediction platform Polymarket, with the most popular candidate being the cryptographer Len Sassaman, who committed suicide in July 2011. Who is he really? In 2021, some discussions have delved into this speculation.

HBO to release Bitcoin documentary "Money Electric," revealing Satoshi Nakamoto's identity soon

Len Sassaman and Satoshi Nakamoto: Unlocking the Legend of Crypto Punks

The article states that within the Bitcoin network lies a poignant tribute: encoded in the blockchain is an obituary, a silent homage to the remarkable Cypherpunk Len Sassaman. His legend is closely intertwined with the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. However, what if Satoshi Nakamoto was not just an unknown genius? What if Len Sassaman himself played a key role in the creation of Bitcoin and contributed to it before his untimely death?

An Untimely Death, Bitcoin-Style Tribute

On July 3, 2011, Len Sassaman tragically took his own life at the young age of 31, leaving a significant void in the hacker and cryptography community. As a revered Cypherpunk, Sassaman's contributions to cryptography, privacy technologies, and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks made him a key figure in the digital privacy development.

The 138725th block of the Bitcoin blockchain contains a tribute to Sassaman, essentially immortalizing him within the structure he may have influenced. While the connection between Sassaman and Bitcoin remains speculative, the unsettling coincidence between his passing and Satoshi Nakamoto's sudden disappearance two months earlier lingers.

Satoshi Nakamoto's Disappearance, Coinciding with Sassaman's Demise

The mysterious inventor of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, seemingly "disappeared" from the digital world in 2011, leaving behind a cryptic message: "I've moved on to other things, and may not be around in the future." This message was posted two months before Sassaman's death. Since the inception of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto made a total of 169 code commits and published 539 articles, but suddenly vanished before completing his work or unlocking the massive $64 billion worth of Bitcoin fortune.

The connection between Satoshi Nakamoto and Sassaman's passing raises many questions. While many have speculated about Satoshi Nakamoto's identity, it might be time to reexamine the Cypherpunk movement.

Len Sassaman: Self-Taught Cryptography Prodigy

Len Sassaman was a self-taught tech expert with a keen interest in cryptography and P2P protocols. During his teenage years in Pennsylvania, USA, he contributed to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), focusing on the development of protocols like TCP/IP. Diagnosed with depression at a young age, his challenges during therapy instilled a sense of distrust towards authority.

At 18, Sassaman moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and became an active member of the Cypherpunk community, living and collaborating with BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen. He was renowned for his intelligence, passion for privacy, and fearless sense of humor.

Contributions to PGP and Cryptography, Collaboration with Hal Finney

Sassaman quickly made a mark in the field of cryptography. At 22, he began speaking at various conferences and co-founded a startup focused on public-key cryptography with open-source advocate Bruce Perens. He later joined Network Associates, contributing to the development of PGP Pretty Good Privacy, a core encryption technology related to Bitcoin's security infrastructure.

Notably, another key figure in the Cypherpunk movement, Hal Finney, was also involved in PGP development and deeply engaged in Bitcoin's early development. As the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction directly from Satoshi Nakamoto, Finney's connection to Bitcoin is well-known, and he is one of the most credible candidates speculated to be Satoshi Nakamoto. He had close collaboration with Sassaman at Network Associates.

Remailer: Precursor to Bitcoin

Both Sassaman and Finney were deeply involved in the development of remailer technology, which can be considered a precursor to Bitcoin's P2P structure. Remailers, based on the concept proposed by cryptographer David Chaum, aimed to anonymously transmit messages through servers. The popular remailer software Mixmaster relied on decentralized nodes and encrypted data blocks, a design that foreshadowed Bitcoin's architecture.

As a developer, node operator, and primary maintainer of Mixmaster, Sassaman was an expert in the remailer system. Due to the abuse and spam issues faced by remailers, the Cypherpunk community began discussing digital currencies for commercialization and expansion. Many core concepts of cryptocurrencies, such as anonymous payments and smart contracts, originated from the remailer community.

Commonalities Between Len Sassaman and Satoshi Nakamoto?

Sassaman's resume aligns remarkably with the skills required to develop Bitcoin. Creating such a groundbreaking protocol demands extensive expertise in cryptography, P2P networks, secure architecture, and a profound understanding of the ideals of the Cypherpunk movement. Sassaman's work in remailers, privacy technologies, and academic cryptography research closely align with these essential skills.

Additionally, Sassaman's mentor was renowned as the "father of digital cash," David Chaum. Although Chaum's Digicash project failed, its core principles – anonymity and untraceable payments – found continuity in Bitcoin.

Another Clue: Satoshi Nakamoto's Academic Ties

Sassaman's academic work as a researcher and doctoral candidate at COSIC, Belgium, allowed him to continue developing protocols for enhanced privacy. His research focused on finding practical applications for cryptography, bridging theory with real-world implementations. Notably, Sassaman's interest in solving Byzantine fault tolerance issues is the final piece of the puzzle for developing secure, decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Clues about Satoshi Nakamoto's identity also hint at an academic background. The Bitcoin whitepaper was typeset in LaTeX, a style common in academia but rare in the Cypherpunk mailing lists. Additionally, the timing of Satoshi Nakamoto's writings and code commits align with academic downtime, suggesting a scholarly lifestyle.

Geographical Evidence: The European Enigma of Bitcoin

Sassaman's time in Belgium aligns with other hints suggesting Satoshi Nakamoto resided in Europe. Satoshi Nakamoto used British English, mentioned the Euro, and embedded the front-page headline of The Times of London in the Genesis block of Bitcoin, all implying European connections. These clues present a contradiction: Satoshi Nakamoto appears European but needs a sufficient understanding of the American Cypherpunk community, primarily concentrated in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Sassaman, an American with close ties to Europe during the Bitcoin development, fits this unique cross-regional characteristic.

Pioneering Early P2P Networks, High Probability of Bitcoin Derivation

Bitcoin's architecture is deeply rooted in P2P networks. Sassaman's close relationship with BitTorrent inventor Bram Cohen and his work on a P2P network with its own digital currency on MojoNation laid the early foundation for decentralized economic systems. Sassaman and Cohen co-founded CodeCon, a conference focused on practical programming applications, where Hal Finney presented one of the earliest demonstrations of P2P digital currencies.

These efforts, combined with Cohen's innovations in P2P protocols and token economics, laid crucial knowledge foundations for Bitcoin's development.

The Cypherpunk spirit of protecting privacy and freedom deeply influenced Sassaman and Satoshi Nakamoto. Unlike other digital currency projects seeking patents and corporate partnerships, Bitcoin, as a free, open-source protocol, distributed to create a decentralized and anonymous financial system.

Tragic Ending: The Conclusion of Sassaman's Story

In his final years, Sassaman's functional neurological disorder and depression worsened, leading to increased isolation and the need to maintain a facade of self-capability. Despite his deteriorating health, he continued to contribute to the cryptography community until the months leading to his death.

Len Sassaman's legacy not only lives on in the Bitcoin blockchain but also embodies the ideals and development of the Cypherpunk movement. While the question of Satoshi Nakamoto's identity remains unresolved, the parallels between Sassaman's and Satoshi Nakamoto's lives present an enduring mystery, captivating those curious about the origins of Bitcoin and the personalities behind it.