Johann Wilfred
- Satoshi Nakamoto was credited with being the first person to create a blockchain
- Nakamoto’s identity remains unknown to this day, and multiple people have been singled out as the creator of the first blockchain
- Theories still come up to this day as to who the real creator of Bitcoin is
Satoshi Nakamoto was credited with being the first person to create a blockchain.
He wrote the pivotal whitepaper in 2008 that allowed P2P payments to be made using a transparent ledger system that solved the problem of double spending. More importantly, the blockchain also created a structure of nodes that verified transactions through CPU power.
The first official piece of communication from the elusive cryptographer dates back to October 31, 2008, in a mail where he/she first proposed the idea of the blockchain.
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“I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party,”
Satoshi also listed the unique features of the newly created P2P system in his mail.
“The main properties: Double-spending is prevented with a peer-to-peer network. No mint or other trusted parties. Participants can be anonymous. New coins are made from Hashcash style proof-of-work. The proof-of-work for new coin generation also powers the network to prevent double-spending,”
The possible identities of Satoshi
Nakamoto’s identity remains unknown to this day, and multiple people have been singled out as the creator of the first blockchain. While no one knows who Satoshi is, it is commonly assumed that he is either a cryptographer or a programmer with extensive experience in cryptography. Another popular assumption is that Satoshi is not one person but, in fact, a group of people or an organization. Here is a list of contenders.
- Craig Steven Wright
Craig Steven Wright is an Australian computer scientist who, for years, has claimed to be Satoshi, after reports in 2015 said that he could be Bitcoin’s founder. He repeatedly has said he was the leading contributor to the Blockchain along with Hal Finney and Dave Kleinman.
Wright launched a string of unsuccessful lawsuits claiming intellectual property rights amounting to more than 1 trillion dollars. So far, he has been unable to provide critical evidence that proves he is Satoshi Nakamoto.
Wright was held in contempt by U.K. courts for repeatedly filing lawsuits and in 2024, was given a 1-year suspended sentence.
- Hal Finney
Hal Finney is a renowned computer scientist known for being an early contributor to the development of the Bitcoin blockchain. There are various reasons why he’s thought of as Satoshi Nakamoto. But mainly, it’s his expertise in cryptography and close associations with prominent blockchain developers that potentially peg him as the possible creator of the Bitcoin blockchain.
He also used to live next to an individual by the name of Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, who was suspected of being the real Nakamoto as well.
- Dorian Nakamoto
Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto was considered early on as a possible candidate due to his name. Dorian was discovered when Journalist Leah McGrath searched for people with the literal name instead of pursuing the conventional approach of singling out potential candidates using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
Dorian fit the profile because he was an engineer, a naturalized U.S. citizen, reclusive, and had a mistrust of conventional banking. However, Dorian has repeatedly denied any connection to Bitcoin or blockchain.
- Nick Szabo
A prominent American cryptographer and computer scientist, Nick Szabo was an early contributor to the field of cryptography for years before Bitcoin was created. In 1998, Szabo created a blueprint for a digital currency called “bitgold”. Although the model was never created, it was supposed to function similarly to blockchain, using concepts of verification, solving puzzles, and network time stamping.
Nick Szabo has denied being the creator of Bitcoin but does take credit for his earlier work.
“I was trying to mimic as closely as possible in cyberspace the security and trust characteristics of gold, and chief among those is that it doesn’t depend on a trusted central authority,”
The search for Satoshi continues
Satoshi Nakamoto is an enigma that still puzzles people to this day. According to Bitbo, His wallet holds an estimated 968,452 BTC, valued at $106.21 billion. Estimates on how much Bitcoin is owned by Satoshi still continues to vary. While the search for Satoshi has now hit a pause, theories still come up to this day as to who the real creator of Bitcoin is.
