Contemporary madman McAfee claims to have spoken with Satoshi Nakamoto over the phone: "This kid is damn smart."

The contemporary madman John McAfee, who wears many hats including antivirus software tycoon, fugitive, and presidential candidate, has always been a controversial figure. In a recent interview with the overseas media Cointelegraph, he made a shocking statement claiming that he is 99% sure of the identity of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and has communicated with him over the phone.

Satoshi Nakamoto's Identity is 99% Confirmed

During an interview with Cointelegraph, John McAfee pointed out that it is a misconception that Bitcoin was designed by an individual named "Satoshi Nakamoto." He claimed that Bitcoin was created by a team of 11 individuals over a period of 5 years, dismissing the notion of a single creator.

"I don't know how they decided who wrote that paper. But everyone wants to know who he is, I mean, you know who the possible candidates are, Craig Wright is one possibility, I won't mention the names of all the others, otherwise you'll figure out who that person is."

Bitcoin Whitepaper as the Key Clue

McAfee believes that analyzing the language of the Bitcoin whitepaper (individual writing style analysis) is the primary method to uncover Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. Based on the spelling differences between British English and American English, it can be inferred from the whitepaper's wording that Satoshi Nakamoto is British. Furthermore, McAfee added that only 5% of people worldwide use two spaces after a comma, and in the whitepaper, every comma is followed by two spaces, a writing format consistent with his own published papers.

"If you buy a $200 author analysis program, study the Bitcoin whitepaper, and compare it with all the papers he published, each of which matches the format of the whitepaper, you can almost 99% confirm that he is Satoshi Nakamoto."

Keeping Quiet about Satoshi

McAfee had previously planned to publicly disclose Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity but ultimately abandoned the idea after speaking with Satoshi Nakamoto over the phone. He stated:

"Do you know what he told me? This kid is smart as hell, he said: 'Okay, but what if you're wrong? If you're right, then Satoshi Nakamoto may have to hire fifty bodyguards, change his life, or he might die. Why? Because everyone will want a piece of him, including governments demanding taxes from him. But what if you're wrong? You will ultimately destroy an innocent man's life, and possibly lead to his death, because he doesn't have the ability to protect himself.'"

In the end, McAfee compromised and stated that he would never reveal Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity.

John McAfee has always been a controversial figure, and despite a series of grandiose claims, the 74-year-old enfant terrible stated that he would not disclose Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity. As to whether McAfee's claims are true or false, and whether Satoshi Nakamoto has actually contacted him, most people consider it as a mere pastime and not to be taken too seriously.

Further Reading

• The Mysterious Figure "Satoshi Nakamoto" Who Changed the World Amid the Financial Crisis
• John McAfee Suggests Cuba Issue Cryptocurrency

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