Bitcoin
Mainarticle:Bitcoinhistory
OnNovember1,2008,SatoshiNakamoto'scryptographymailinglistonthe"metzdowd.com"websitePublishedapapertitled"Bitcoin:APeer-to-PeerElectronicCashSystem".Thepaperdescribesindetailhowtocreateadecentralizedelectronictransactionsystem,andthissystemdoesnotneedtobebuiltonthebasisofmutualtrustbetweenthetransactionparties.Soon,onJanuary3,2009,hedevelopedthefirstclientprogramthatimplementedtheBitcoinalgorithmandconductedthefirst"mining",obtainingthefirstbatchof50Bitcoins.ThisalsomarkedtheofficialbirthoftheBitcoinfinancialsystem.
OnDecember5,2010,duringtheWikiLeaksleakoftheUSdiplomaticcableincident,theBitcoincommunitycalledonWikiLeakstoacceptBitcoindonationstobreakthefinancialblockade.Nakamotoexpressedfirmopposition,believingthatBitcoinisstillinitscradleandcannotwithstandconflictsanddisputes.Sevendayslater,onDecember12,hepublishedhislastarticleintheBitcoinforum,mentioningsomeminorissuesinthelatestversionofthesoftware,andthenstoppedshowingup,andtheemailcommunicationwasgraduallyterminated.
CandidatefortheNobelPrizeinEconomics
In2015,UCLAFinanceProfessorBhagwanChowdhrynominatedSatoshiNakamotoforthe2016NobelPrizeinEconomics.candidate.
BhagwanChowdhrysaid:"TheinventionofBitcoinissimplyrevolutionary.Nakamoto’scontributionwillnotonlycompletelychangethewaywethinkaboutmoney,butitislikelytooverturnthecentralbank’smonetarypolicy.Itwilldestroythehigh-costremittanceservicessuchasWesternUnion,completelyeliminatethe2-4%intermediarytransactiontaxchargedbyVisa,MasterCard,andPayPal,andeliminatethetroublesomeandexpensivenotaryandintermediaryservices.Infact,itItwillcompletelychangethewayoflegalcontracts."
Trueidentityguessing
Nakamotorarelyrevealshistrueinformation.InhispersonalprofileontheP2PFoundationwebsite,heclaimedtobea37-year-oldmalelivinginJapan.However,thisiswidelysuspected.HisEnglishwritingisasproficientandauthenticashismothertongue,buthehasneverusedJapanese.UsinghisnametosearchtheInternet,unabletofindanyinformationrelatedtothisperson.Varioussignsindicatethat"NakamotoSatoshi"("NakamotoTetsushi")maybeafictitiousidentity.NakamotoswitchedbetweenBritishEnglishandAmericanEnglishinhisspeechesandprocedures,andhespokeonlinerandomlyatdifferenttimesthroughouttheday.Thisshowsthatheeitherdeliberatelyconcealedhisnationalityandtimezone,orwasmanipulatedbymultiplepeoplebehindhisaccount.However,basedontheanalysisofhislanguagehabitsandtimestatistics,somepeoplebelievethathemaybeaBritishorIrishlivinginthecentralorwesternUnitedStates.LaszloHanyecz,whousedtoworkontheBitcoincoredevelopmentteam,believesthatitsalgorithmdesignistoosophisticated,sothatitisnotlikeapersoncandoitalone.
MochizukiShinichi
InMay2012,computerscientistTedNelson(TedNelson)believedthatSatoshiNakamotowastheJapanesemathematicianShinichiMochizuki(ShinichiMochizuki),andbelievedthathisSmartenough,theresearchfieldincludesthemathematicalalgorithmsusedbyBitcoin.Moreimportantly,Mochizukidoesnotusetheconventionalacademicpublishingmechanism,butisusedtoworkingalone,lettingothersunderstandafterpublishingthepaper.However,somepeoplequestionedthatthecryptographyrequiredtodesignBitcoinwasnotMochizuki'sresearchinterest.Mochizukihimselfdeniedit.
NickSaab
InDecember2013,thebloggerSkyeGreyconcludedthathistrueidentitywasaformerGeorgeWashingtonUniversityprofessorthroughaquantitativestylisticanalysisofNakamoto’sthesisNickSabo.Saabispassionateaboutdecentralizedcurrenciesandhaspublishedapaperon"bitgold",andisconsideredapioneerofBitcoin.Heisalsoafamouspersonwholikestousepseudonymssincethe90s.
InanarticleinMay2011,SabosaidwhentalkingaboutthecreatorofBitcoin:“PeopleIknowareinterestedenoughinthisideaandcanputitintopractice.Originallytherewereonlythreepeople:myself,WeiDaiandHalFinney.LaterNakamotoappeared(assumingthatNakamotoisnotFinneynorDavid)."
DorianZhongThis
Themostwell-knownspeculationoccurredonMarch6,2014.NewsweekreporterLeahMcGrathGoodmanpublishedanarticlesayingthathehadfoundtherealNakamoto,aJapanese-AmericanlivinginCalifornia,namedDorianNakamoto,and"ZheShi"washimNameatbirth.Inadditiontothesamename,Goodmanalsofoundsomesupportingevidence.OneofthemostpowerfulisthatwhenGoodmaninterviewedandaskedBitcoinquestionsinperson,Dorian’sanswerseemedtoconfirmhisidentityasthefatherofBitcoin:"IIamnolongerinvolvedinitandcannotdiscussit.Ithasbeentransferredtoothers.Theyarenowincharge.Ihavenocontact."TheauthenticityofthisstatementwasalsoconfirmedbytheLosAngelesCountypolicewhowerepresentatthetime.
Afterthereportwasmadepublic,itwasquestionedandcriticizedbypublicopinion,includingtheBitcoincommunity,butitalsoattractedgreatinterestfromthemedia.ReportersflockedtoDorian’shouseandsquattedoutside,evenchasinghiscar.However,inalaterformalinterview,DoriandeniedallhisconnectionwithBitcoin,sayingthathehadneverheardofit,butmisunderstoodGoodman'squestion,thinkingshewasaskingaboutconfidentialworkshehadundertakenfromthemilitary..
Laterthatday,SatoshiNakamotohimselfstoodupanddeniedit.HisfirstmessageintheP2PFoundationaccountafterfiveyearsofdusting,said:"IamnotDorianNakamoto."
CraigStephenWhite
InDecember2015,WiredMagazinereportedthatAustralianscholarCraigStephenWhiteislikelytobethedeityofSatoshiNakamoto.Atthesametime,healsopointedoutthatmaybeitwasjustacleverscamhedesignedtomakeusbelievethatheisSatoshiNakamotohimself.UntilMay2,2016,AustralianentrepreneurCraigStephenWhitepubliclyadmittedthathewasSatoshiNakamotowhoinventedBitcoin,andforthefirsttimeanyonepubliclyadmitted.TheevidenceisSatoshiNakamoto’sencryptedsignaturefile,butthesuspectedfilecanbefoundanddownloadedonthedarkwebaslongasitisaslightlymoreadvancedhacker.Ithaslongbeencirculatedinmanycomputermastercircles.TheprivatekeyoftheBitcoinaddressinblock9,butthisprivatekeymaybeobtainedbyearlyBitcoindevelopersortheircloseones.
ThemostcriticalproofisthefirsttransactionaddressofBitcointhatimportedBitcointo2009.ThisaddressisdeemedtobeownedbySatoshiNakamotoandtheperformanceisrequiredtoberemitted.TheBBCreportersent0.017BitcoinsImported,butdidnotrepatriateintheend.TheBBCJournalwroteoffandhisinterviewfootage,claimingthathewastheinventorofBitcoin.However,theauthenticityofCraig'sstatementandevidencehasbeenwidelyquestioned.Whenthekeyevidencewasrequestedinthefinalstage,Craigrefusedandpublishedablogpostabouthim.
Otherspeculations
TherearesomeotherindividualsorgroupsthatarebelievedtobetherealpersonofSatoshiNakamoto.Theseinclude:
FinnisheconomicsociologistDrViliLehdonvirtaandIrishcryptographygraduatestudentMichaelClear.Thetwodenieditseparately.
GermanandAmericanresearchersNealKing,VladimirOksmanandCharlesBry.TheyhadjointlyappliedfortheregistrationofaBitcoin-relatedpatent,andthedomainnamebitcoin.orgoftheofficialwebsiteoftheBitcoinprojecthappenedtoberegisteredonthethirddayafterthepatentapplicationwasfiled.Allthreedeniedthisspeculation.
GavinAndresen,chiefscientistoftheBitcoinFoundation,JedMcCaleb,founderoftheBitcointradingplatformMt.Gox,oragovernmentagency.
DustinD.Trammell,anAmericanentrepreneurandsecurityresearcher,buthepubliclydeniedit.
SomepeoplethinkthatSatoshiNakamoto'snameisactuallyacombinationoffourcompanynames,includingSamsung(Samsung)andToshiba(Toshiba),Zhongdao(Nakamichi),andMotorola(Motorola),implyingthatBitcoinwasactuallyjointlydevelopedbythesefourcompaniesandusedSatoshiNakamoto,thepseudonymof"SatoshiNakamoto"waspublished.
Annotation
NakamotoonlycommunicatesinEnglishontheInternet,signedbyRomajiform"SatoshiNakamoto",butDidnotsayhowitshouldbewritteninJapanese.Japanesemediausuallytranslateitas"中本哲史"(Japanese:中本哲史/なかもとさとし),whileChinesemediaoftenuse"中本聪".ThepronunciationofthetwoinJapaneseisthesame.Japaneseissometimesdirectlytransliteratedas"サトシ・ナカモト"intheformofkatakana.