HBO’s upcoming documentary claims it has finally uncovered the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.
Set to air next Wednesday at 2 a.m. CET (9 p.m. EST on Tuesday), the show promises to end one of the biggest mysteries in the crypto world.
Directed by Emmy-nominated Cullen Hoback, the man behind “Q: Into the Storm,” this documentary could have massive global implications, potentially rattling financial markets and shaking the U.S. presidential race, with Donald Trump receiving support from Bitcoin enthusiasts.
Bitcoin has been a major force since it launched in 2009. Born as a decentralized cryptocurrency, it’s grown into a trillion-dollar asset class.
For years, people have speculated about the true identity of its creator, but no one has been able to prove anything definitively.
Long list of suspects
The list of potential Satoshi Nakamotos is long, and a few names have gained more attention over the years. Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist, has been the loudest about his claim.
In 2016, he publicly declared he was Nakamoto, but it didn’t stick. Skeptics questioned his evidence, and the whole situation escalated into legal trouble.
In May 2024, Wright faced a UK High Court ruling that labeled him a liar, saying his evidence was fabricated. The community continues to reject his claims, seeing him as nothing more than a fraud.
Nick Szabo, the creator of “bit gold,” is another figure who has been linked to Nakamoto. Linguistic analysis of his writings shows a resemblance to Nakamoto’s style, but Szabo has consistently denied being Satoshi.
Still though, many in the crypto community can’t shake the similarities between his work and Bitcoin’s white paper.
Then there’s Hal Finney, an early Bitcoin developer and one of the first to ever receive a Bitcoin transaction directly from Nakamoto.
Finney was deeply involved in the cypherpunk movement and had the technical know-how to create Bitcoin.
Even so, before his death in 2014, he firmly denied being Satoshi. Dorian Nakamoto, a physicist based in California, was famously mistaken for Satoshi Nakamoto by Newsweek in 2014.
The media frenzy was intense, but Dorian flatly denied any connection to Bitcoin. After several media appearances to clear his name, most people now accept that Dorian isn’t the real Nakamoto.
Other suspects include Vili Lehdonvirta and Michael Clear, both of whom have [you guessed it] denied any involvement in creating Bitcoin.
There was also a patent filed by Neal King, Vladimir Oksman, and Charles Bry shortly before bitcoin.org was registered.
The language in their application resembled the Bitcoin white paper, but they, too, have denied being behind it.
The documentary’s impact
If HBO does successfully unmask Satoshi Nakamoto, it could lead to chaos in global finance.
Bitcoin’s decentralized nature has attracted people who distrust government-backed currencies, while its use for illicit activities, like cybercrime and drug sales, make for endless debate about its ethical implications.
Nakamoto, who disappeared from the [online] public eye in 2010, still controls approximately 1.1 million Bitcoin, currently valued at over $66 billion.
Whether Satoshi can still access these funds is unclear, but if HBO’s documentary uncovers the truth, it will raise some legal and moral questions from people all over the world.
If Satoshi is found to have been complicit in some of Bitcoin’s less savory uses, the fallout could be immense.
Recent activity on wallets from the so-called “Satoshi era” makes it all the more concerning. Around 250 bitcoins, worth about $15 million, have been withdrawn from dormant wallets in the past two weeks.
While these coins aren’t officially tied to Satoshi Nakamoto’s known wallets, the fact that they’ve been inactive since Bitcoin’s early days is a bit suspicious. They likely belong to his earliest collaborators.
There’s no telling how the markets will react.
On one hand, the news could legitimize Bitcoin further, proving that its creation was the result of one of the greatest technical minds of our time.
On the other hand, it could drag down Bitcoin’s reputation, especially if Nakamoto is tied to illegal activities or scandals.
Meanwhile, with the Republicans already backing Bitcoin as an anti-establishment symbol, a Nakamoto revelation could affect voter sentiment, especially in key states.
