One of the biggest enigmas in crypto history has just had a major turning point. A journalist from the New York Times claims to have found the answer: the creator of Bitcoin would not be called Satoshi Nakamoto, but would in fact be Adam Back, a 55-year-old British cryptographer known to the crypto ecosystem. 📍
🔍 What's going on?
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Carreyrou has just published the results of a painstaking investigation lasting over a year. He scoured cypherpunk forums, online archives and emails dating from the 1990s to the present day. The result: according to him, Adam Back hides his identity under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
As a reminder, Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper on October 31, 2008, before disappearing completely in April 2011. Since that date, no online trace exists and, more importantly, none of the Bitcoins he owns have ever been moved.
💡 Why does it matter?
If this theory proves correct, it would change the fundamental narrative of Bitcoin. It would mean that the creator of the market's most important cryptocurrency was not a mysterious Japanese born in 1975, as Satoshi claimed, but a Briton specializing in cryptography and privacy. A not inconsiderable difference for the asset legend.
For many, Satoshi's identity doesn't directly affect today's crypto markets - the protocol is decentralized and operates independently. But you understand that it touches on the very mythology of Bitcoin, its history, and potentially the future revelation of Satoshi's address with its nearly one million bitcoins.
📊 Our opinion
We're cautious about this claim, even though it comes from a prestigious source. Carreyrou's investigation is based on linguistic, technical and historical clues, but does not constitute formal proof. The strongest point: Satoshi's quote in Bitcoin's first block, taken from the British daily The Times, refers to the British state bailing out the banks - a very English detail. This corroborates the hypothesis of a British rather than Japanese pen.
However, in the absence of official confirmation from Adam Back himself or irrefutable cryptographic proof, we can't take this as established fact. For the time being, it's a solid investigation, but not a definitive revelation.
✅ To remember
- An NYT reporter has been investigating Satoshi's identity for over a year.
- Adam Back, a British cryptographer, is believed to be the creator of Bitcoin according to this investigation.
- Satoshi Nakamoto has been missing since April 2011, no proof of life since.
- The theory is based on linguistic and historical clues, not confirmation.
- Satoshi's real identity does not affect the operation of the Bitcoin protocol.
What do you think?If Adam Back were really Satoshi, would that change your perception of Bitcoin and its genesis? Or for you, it's the technical innovation that counts, not the man behind it?
🔎 Also to be read
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