- The most convincing names are Len Sassaman and Hal Finney, given the suspicion that the real Satoshi may have died in the early 2010s.
- The second round of suspects includes Adam Back and Gavin Andresen, who were best known for their active communication with Satoshi.
- The US Central Intelligence Agency emerges as a potential suspect because the name Satoshi Nakamoto translates to “Intelligent (Satoshi)” and “Middle/Central (Nakamoto)” in Japanese.
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Len Sassaman
Len has been one of the strongest candidates to be Satoshi Nakamoto because of his close professional proximity to being a top cryptographer. He was one of the core proponents of the cypherpunk movement that led to the creation of Bitcoin.
His work on creating anonymous systems such as remailers and Pretty Good Privacy is one of the key speculations.
His death in July 2011 is close to Satoshi’s disappearance in April 2011.
Hal Finney
Hal Finney is one of the strongest Bitcoin candidates because of several circumstantial pieces of evidence.
- Hal had a very close writing style to Satoshi Nakamoto.
- Hal was the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto.
- He had created a Bitcoin precursor called Reusable Proof of Work, with a consensus mechanism very similar to Bitcoin’s.
- He also fits the narrative that Satoshi has probably died. Hal died in 2014.
Gavin Andresen
When Satoshi Nakamoto left Bitcoin as a project forever in April 2011, he left Bitcoin’s core credentials to Gavin.
Gavin has also been one of the earliest and longest-serving Bitcoin developers.
Adam Back
Adam Back was among the first to establish contact with Satoshi Nakamoto. He is also the creator of the Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism for his cryptocurrency, HashCash, a close predecessor of Bitcoin.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency
Satoshi Nakamoto is supposed to be Japanese, as his name suggests. Decoding his name in Japanese, we obtain two parts,
- The word Satoshi means “wise” or “intelligent.”
- The word Nakamoto means “middle” or “central.”
Combining the select few interpretations, we obtain Intelligent Central, which, after minimal changes, becomes the Central Intelligence, which could mean the Central Intelligence (CIA).
The United States Central Intelligence Agency has long been thought to have created Bitcoin to fund its covert operations worldwide. Further, a long-term vision would enable it to mint trillions of dollars out of thin air, a widespread criticism of Bitcoin.
Frequently Asked Questions on Satoshi Nakamoto
When did Satoshi Nakamoto write his last email?
Satoshi wrote his last email to BitcoinJ developer Mike on April 23, 2011.
