On Tuesday local time (October 8), the U.S. Home Box Office (HBO) channel premiered a documentary film titled "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery" for the first time.

Source: HBO official website

In this 100-minute film, to delve into the origins of Bitcoin and the identity of its creator "Satoshi Nakamoto", filmmaker Cullen Hoback interviewed several early figures in the Bitcoin field.

One of Hoback's most well-known works is the documentary "Q: Into the Storm", released in 2021, which explores the origins of the internet phenomenon QAnon and its promoters. The production traces the formation of QAnon, delves into online anonymity culture, the influence of social media platforms, and how misinformation affects modern society.

As a conclusion, in the film, Hoback hinted that the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto was Canadian software developer and cryptocurrency expert Peter Todd, causing a stir. However, after the film was released, Todd quickly responded that he is "definitely not Satoshi Nakamoto".

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?

In 2008, the self-proclaimed Japanese-American Satoshi Nakamoto published a white paper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", proposing the concept of decentralized digital currency and designing the underlying blockchain technology for it.

In 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto released the first version of the bitcoin software, mined the genesis block, and launched the bitcoin network. In 2010, he gradually faded out and transferred the project to other members of the bitcoin community. To this day, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains a mystery.

Although many people claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto or attempt to reveal his true identity, there is still no conclusive evidence. Satoshi Nakamoto's bitcoin account is said to hold approximately 1 million bitcoins, but he gradually faded from the public eye after 2010 and has not accessed these bitcoins since.

Analysis suggests that if Satoshi Nakamoto's identity is revealed and he decides to access these bitcoins, it could have a significant impact on the market, leading to large price fluctuations in bitcoin.

In 2014, some media claimed that Satoshi Nakamoto was a Japanese-American computer engineer named Dorian S. Nakamoto, although he himself denied this claim. Dorian's appearance has been widely used by the public as the image of Satoshi Nakamoto. Some believe that Satoshi Nakamoto might be a group.

Dorian S. Nakamoto

Over the years, Todd has also been considered one of the possible candidates. Todd is a bitcoin core developer and cryptography expert, known for his contributions to the privacy, security, and scalability of the bitcoin network. He holds an important position in the blockchain technology and bitcoin development community.

Todd has been involved in several improvement projects related to the bitcoin protocol, especially in the areas of consensus protocols and transaction privacy. Todd's views on bitcoin and blockchain technology are practical and conservative, often emphasizing the core principles of network security and decentralization.

As an advocate, Todd has warned against the risk of excessive innovation or threats to system stability in the blockchain field. In addition to bitcoin, he has participated in multiple cryptography-related projects and has research in privacy protection technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and trusted hardware.

Peter Todd Selfie

Various parties debate

Some people on social media believe that when the whitepaper was released, Todd was only in his early 20s and too young to have developed this technology.

In response, filmmaker Hoback stated that Todd was already 23 at the time, most cryptographers make significant breakthroughs at a young age, and pointed out that Todd's father is an economist.

Todd himself firmly denies, writing that Hoback simply wants to make a popular documentary and does not truly care about who the creator of bitcoin is.

Analysis indicates that Satoshi Nakamoto's identity involves legal issues. If his identity is revealed, various governments or regulatory agencies may try to engage in dialogue with him to discuss the legal status, taxation, and role of bitcoin in the global financial system.

Furthermore, as a symbol of decentralization and individual privacy, Satoshi Nakamoto's anonymous identity represents an ideology. If his identity is revealed, it could weaken this symbol, and the worst outcome could potentially lead to a community split.

Editor/rice