HBO documentary suggests mysterious Bitcoin creator is Canadian software developer
A new HBO documentary about the origins ofBitcoin suggests that Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the original cryptocurrency, is likely Canadian software developer Peter Todd.
Called “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” the 100-minute film on Tuesday features interviews with a handful of people who’d been involved with Bitcoin from early on, including long-time Satoshi candidate Adam Back, investor Roger Ver, Bitcoin marketer Samson Mow and Todd.
The documentary’s creator, Cullen Hoback, used circumstantial evidence such as postings from an early Bitcoiner forum, to guess that Todd is Satoshi Nakamoto. When confronted, Todd shrugged off the idea, and called the suggestion “ludicrous.” Like several people in the film, Todd said, at one point, “I am Satoshi Nakamoto,” while seemingly laughing the idea off.
Who exactly Satoshi Nakamoto is — a person or a group — has been subject of much speculation since Bitcoin’s launch in January 2009. The cryptocurrency has since burst onto the mainstream, ending up on the books of companies like MicroStrategy Inc. and part of U.S. exchange-traded funds, holding billions of dollars worth of the token. Over the years, various publications have suggested a variety of people were Satoshi Nakamoto. In 2014, Newsweek claimed he was physicist Dorian Nakamoto, which he denied. In 2015, the New York Times pointed the finger at computer scientist Nick Szabo. Australian Craig Wright famously proclaimed himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto, until a U.K. judge ruled he is not Bitcoin’s creator.
Todd is listed as an applied cryptography consultant on developer platform GitHub, which says he is based in Toronto. A LinkedIn profile for someone of the same name lists him as “Chief Naysayer” at
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