New York Times columnist John Carreyrou‘s new evidence suggesting that the British cryptographer Adam Go back is the man behind the pseudonym of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is attracting global attention. This renewed scrutiny comes amid increased volatility in the price of Bitcoin, which fell from its all-time high of more than $125,000 last October to less than half of that until February.
The mystery surrounding Satoshi’s identity has fascinated people in and beyond the cryptosphere since 2008, when he began publishing white papers and early developer documents, two years before Bitcoin officially launched. Satoshi disappeared from public view in 2011writing to his associate Mike Hearn that he “had moved on to other things.”
Although it has been 15 years since Satoshi disappeared, interest in the mythology has not waned. Dozens of names have surfaced – some claiming to be Satoshi, others adamantly denying it. Now, the trail has turned hot again, pointing to someone at the heart of Bitcoin’s early cryptographic roots.
Carreyrou’s case linking The Return to Satoshi Nakamoto is supported some key points. First, Back was deeply involved in the Cypherpunks, a group of crypto-activists with anarcho-capitalist leanings. He holds a PhD in distributed computing systems (the core architecture behind Bitcoin) and is an authority on both public-key cryptography and the programming language that Bitcoin uses. Linguistic analyzes of his published work also reveal striking similarities to Satoshi’s, such as unusual hyphenation, inconsistent shifts between British and American spellings, and shared stylistic features.
Back has categorically denied being Satoshi. He maintained this position in today’s edition of The everydayNew York Times podcast hosted by Natalie Kitroeff. “I think it’s a coincidence,” Back said of Carreyrou’s findings. “I can only tell you that it is not me.”
In a 2024 post on XOn the back he wrote, “Nobody knows who Satoshi is. And that’s a good thing.Asked about that statement on the podcast, he explained that systems with honest founders “are seen more as a product or project of a company” rather than developing organically.
Currently, Back is taking his company, Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company (BSTR), public in the US. He has not disclosed any assets that would link him to Satoshi, such as the approximately 1.1 million Bitcoins, now worth more than $79 billion, that analysts estimate Satoshi controls.
Other names were previously suspected to be Satoshi Nakamoto
Len Sassaman
Len Sassamana cryptographer and member of Cypherpunk who died by suicide in 2011, has long been rumored to be Satoshi. The theory gained traction when it was capitalist Evan Hatch published a Medium item suggesting Sassaman as a possible identity. It also appeared as a theory in HBOThe 2024 documentary Money Electric: The Mystery of Bitcoin. Sasaman’s widow, Meredith Pattersonhas repeatedly said she does not believe he was Satoshi, and the claims have since lost steam.
Peter Todd
Peter Toddan early blockchain developer who partnered with Back was another subject of speculation. Although presented in Money ElectricTodd, only 23 at the time the original publication of the white paper, has strongly rejected the idea, and most believe he lacked the experience to build the entire Bitcoin system.
Hal Finney
Known cryptographer Hal Finney was the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction directly from Satoshi, fueling theories that he could be the originator. Coincidentally, Finney lived next door to a man named Dorian Nakamotofueling speculation that he borrowed the last name for his nickname. However, before his death from ALS in 2014, Finney produced evidence—including email logs and wallet records—showing that he was merely an accomplice.
Dorian Nakamoto
Living just a few blocks from Finney in Temple City, California, Dorian Nakamoto was born Satoshi Nakamoto. Newsweek columnist Leah McGrath Goodman claimed in 2014 that he was the elusive creatorto which he replied: “The first time I heard the term ‘Bitcoin’ was from my son in mid-February 2014… My prospects for gainful employment (have been damaged) because of the Newsweek article.”
Nick Szabo
Nick Szabo designed BitGold in 1998, a digital currency concept that paved the way for Bitcoin. Like the Back debate, linguists have compared Szabo’s writing to Satoshi’s. According to Carreyrou, Szabo recently joined one DeBAte to X regarding a Bitcoin update, in which he “exposed his ignorance of the fundamental technical aspects of Bitcoin.“
Paul Le Roux
Paul Le Rouxencryption software maker E4M was another candidate, largely because of its technical expertise. However, his criminal record, including convictions for drug trafficking and murder, contradicts Satoshi’s image as a moral innovator and idealist, making this theory less plausible.
Gavin Andresen
Satoshi has personally selected the software developer Gavin Andresen to follow him and oversee Bitcoin updates, sparking speculation that Andresen may be Satoshi himself. He denied it and later supported the computer scientist Craig Wright‘s claim—a loyalty that damaged his reputation after Wright’s evidence was found to be falsified.
Wei Dai
Computer scientist Wei Daiwhose “b-money” proposal influenced Bitcoin’s design and was cited in Satoshi’s white paper has also been named as a possible candidate. He has repeatedly denied the claims and there is no credible evidence linking him to the creation of Bitcoin.
Craig Wright
Australian computer scientist Craig Wright remains the only person to publicly claim it IS Satoshi. In 2024, he lost a case in the High Court of England and Wales v Open Crypto Patent Alliance. The court found his evidence “at best dubious or of very dubious significance or entirely circumstantial and at worst, fabricated and/or based on documents that I am satisfied have been falsified on a large scale.”
