HBO Reveals Satoshi Nakamoto! Canadian Developer Accused of Being Bitcoin Creator, Peter Todd: "I am not Satoshi Nakamoto"

The highly anticipated documentary about Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, aired on Tuesday by the American television network HBO, turned out to feature Canadian software developer Peter Todd instead of the widely speculated cryptographer Len Sassaman. HBO suggested that Todd may be the pseudonymous cryptocurrency pioneer Satoshi Nakamoto, who mysteriously disappeared in 2011. However, the evidence presented in the documentary was still not convincing enough for those who have long studied the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto's identity.

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Director Asserts Confidence: Peter Todd is Satoshi Nakamoto, the Creator of Bitcoin

Director Cullen Hoback made a significant accusation in his documentary "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery": Canadian software developer Peter Todd is actually Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Despite Todd's firm denial, Hoback remains confident in his conclusion and claims to be "very confident" in it. This accusation has sparked intense discussions once again about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Todd's Early Interest in Digital Currency and Similarities to Satoshi Nakamoto's Linguistic Features

Peter Todd has had a keen interest in creating digital currency since a young age. In 2001, as a young libertarian, he had emailed digital currency pioneer Adam Back inquiring about how Hashcash's structure could be applied to a "decentralized 'central' database." At that time, Todd was still a teenager, but his passion and curiosity for digital currency coincided with the ideas of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

In addition, Hoback also pointed out that Satoshi Nakamoto's use of language in the Bitcoin whitepaper and forums showed characteristics of both British and Canadian English spelling, such as using words like "favour" and "neighbour," which align with Canadian language conventions. At the same time, Satoshi Nakamoto also used American spelling, such as "realize," adding to the similarities between Todd and Satoshi Nakamoto.

The "Physicist Turned Software Engineer" Code

Hoback further emphasized the characteristics of the Bitcoin code. Todd was studying physics as Bitcoin was born and became a self-taught programmer. After having experts analyze the Bitcoin code, Hoback received feedback that stated, "The code lacks finesse, like something written by a physicist turned software engineer." This alignment with Todd's background further solidified Hoback's speculation.

The "Flaw" on the Bitcoin Forum in 2010

During his investigation, Hoback found what he believed to be "decisive evidence": a post on the Bitcoin forum in 2010, just two days before Satoshi Nakamoto's last appearance on the forum. In the post, Satoshi Nakamoto made a technical suggestion regarding the Bitcoin code. Just a few hours later, Todd also responded on the same forum, making subtle corrections to Satoshi Nakamoto's proposal.

In his response, Todd wrote, "Of course, specifically, if the second transaction has a fee, the inputs and outputs cannot be 'matched' entirely." This response led Hoback to make a bold assumption: Todd had mistakenly used the wrong account and inadvertently responded with his personal identity to the post made earlier as Satoshi Nakamoto.

Actual Implementation of the Fee Replacement Mechanism

Years later, Todd put the proposal discussed into practice and implemented a mechanism called "Replace-by-Fee (RBF)," which became a part of Bitcoin transactions. Hoback believes this fact further supports his speculation that Todd's response to the technical details was actually his own proposal.

Todd's Reaction?

In the documentary, Hoback directly confronted Peter Todd and Adam Back with the forum post and its implications. When Hoback told Todd that he believed Todd was Satoshi Nakamoto, Todd immediately denied it and called the accusation "absurd." However, Hoback noted that Todd appeared visibly nervous in his response and awkwardly chuckled to himself in front of the camera. Hoback described it as, "His reaction was very telling, and Adam Back's silence in this conversation was almost as revealing as the evidence collected earlier."

However, Hoback also acknowledged that there are still some mysteries, including why Todd did not delete the forum response that could potentially expose his identity.

HBO Documentary Claims Peter Todd is Satoshi Nakamoto, Todd Denies Allegations

The documentary titled "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery," directed by Cullen Hoback, attempts to reveal the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. However, the main subject of the documentary, Peter Todd, strongly denies any association and calls it "absurd."

HBO releases Bitcoin documentary Money Electric, Satoshi Nakamoto's identity to be unveiled

Despite Todd's insistence on denying any connection to Satoshi Nakamoto, Hoback's documentary has once again ignited speculation in the cryptocurrency world about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. With more evidence being uncovered, the debate about the creator of Bitcoin is far from over.

Bets Invalidated Before Documentary Premiere

Prior to the documentary's release, bettors in the crypto market had placed a $20 million wager on Polymarket regarding Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. Most bettors believed the documentary would point to multiple creators or someone not among the top 15 candidates. The late American cryptographer Len Sassaman was once a hot contender, but everything became unclear again after the documentary was revealed.