# Satoshi Nakamoto: inventor of Bitcoin **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031 "2014-03-06T18:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/1 "2014-03-06T18:11:44Z")
> **[The Face Behind Bitcoin](https://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html)** > > The reclusive inventor of the troubled virtual currency has been hiding in plain sight Interesting article in Newsweek which claims to have uncovered Satoshi Nakamoto, inventor of Bitcoin. The article says he really is a Japanese guy called Satoshi Nakamoto and he is pretty much the brilliant eccentric that you might expect. Questions: Is this really the inventor of Bitcoin? Was this article unethical in uncovering someone who wants to be left alone? That seems to be the overwhelming opinion of the commenters on the article. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/2 "2014-03-06T20:09:45Z")
Are you really " uncovering" someone if they published the paper they are famous for under their own name? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/3 "2014-03-06T20:16:09Z")
The name was widely believed to be a pseudonym and as the article mentions there are others with the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/4 "2014-03-06T20:50:05Z")
Perfectly ethical. He can’t bring bit coin out without expecting to generate some attention. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/5 "2014-03-06T20:51:00Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > The name was widely believed to be a pseudonym and as the article mentions there are others with the same name. I don’t see how that makes a difference. He published a paper under his own name. And established a monetary unit under his own name. Rather than allowing people to think his name a pseudonym, he could have employed an actual pseudonym if he truly valued his privacy. Bitcoin is rapidly becoming a touchy issue for some people - on the level of goldbugs. And online comments are very rarely places to find sense or rationality. I’m not surprised people attack the messenger instead of the message. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/6 "2014-03-06T21:00:58Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Is this really the inventor of Bitcoin? I am by no means an expert on bitcoin, but I don’t think the article was very convincing. If this guy is that paranoid, why did he use his real name. Also, why has it taken someone this long to find this guy if he was essentially not hiding? > [@Lantern](#): > > Was this article unethical in uncovering someone who wants to be left alone? That seems to be the overwhelming opinion of the commenters on the article. Probably unethical given that this guys may have access to almost half a billion in assets and basically no way to protect himself. The article itself is probably okay, but a pic of him and his house seems unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/7 "2014-03-06T21:01:26Z")
An article about what they could find out about him is fine. But they published his picture and a picture of his house. I’d call that over the line. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/8 "2014-03-06T21:06:34Z")
I think a person can reasonably change his mind about something like this. He writes about a cool programming idea under his real name but decides he doesn’t want the limelight when it becomes a global mega-story. Secondly what if this guy isn’t the real inventor? This story would be a pretty big invasion of his privacy. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/9 "2014-03-06T21:11:32Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I think a person can reasonably change his mind about something like this. He writes about a cool programming idea under his real name but decides he doesn’t want the limelight when it becomes a global mega-story. I still don’t see why that matters. There are plenty of decisions you can’t take back. Maybe there’s room for a debate on privacy rights in the modern age, but I don’t see any honest debate on why this particular individual should be treated differently than anybody would be, except for the tons of fans he’s accumulated. > [@Lantern](#): > > Secondly what if this guy isn’t the real inventor? This story would be a pretty big invasion of his privacy. That’s a possibility. And mistakes have been made before. And we rightfully condemn it when it happens. But how about we confirm it’s a mistake before offering a blanket condemnation? There are a lot of people trying to make this guy out as a hero. Fine. But it’s also coloring their perceptions about how he should be treated. ---
**Author:** ![SuperDopaminergic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@SuperDopaminergic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperDopaminergic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/10 "2014-03-07T00:48:07Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Probably unethical given that this guys may have access to almost half a billion in assets and basically no way to protect himself. Sounds like he has half a billion ways to protect himself. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/11 "2014-03-07T01:04:03Z")
“Eyes! I just do eyes!” ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/12 "2014-03-07T01:23:41Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Secondly what if this guy isn’t the real inventor? This story would be a pretty big invasion of his privacy. He [denies any involvement](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-exclusive-man-denies-hes-bitcoin-founder). The evidence in the original story is flimsy, and Newsweek seems to be backpedalling. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/13 "2014-03-07T05:45:12Z")
Sheesh, I just wasted 20 minutes reading the original story. It’s pretty flimsy. Stuff like double spacing after a period. Not to mention, if he’s worth several hundred million, why hasn’t he cashed in and fucked off to some reclusive island he owns? ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/14 "2014-03-07T14:16:50Z")
My guess is that the REAL inventor of Bitcoin is someone(s) who knew damn well they’d need a pseudonym, knew how to cover their tracks, but also knew this Dorian guy in some professional capacity and thought he might be a useful decoy. So seriously interested parties might want to look into Dorian S.N.'s employment history and dig around. ---
**Author:** ![Nomojitse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90ced4/32.png) [@Nomojitse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nomojitse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/15 "2014-03-09T16:25:21Z")
Nah, not him: > [@](#): > > A day after the news broke that Satoshi Nakamoto was a 64-year-old Japanese man living in California, Nakamoto has denied being the creator of Bitcoin in an exclusive two-hour interview with The Associated Press. > > Nakamoto said he had never heard of bitcoin until his son told him he had been contacted by a Newsweek reporter three weeks ago. He acknowledged that many of the details in Newsweek’s report are correct, including that he once worked for a defense contractor, and that his given name at birth was Satoshi. But he strongly disputed the magazine’s assertion that he is “the face behind bitcoin.” > > “I got nothing to do with it,” he said, repeatedly. > > [source](http://bit.ly/1h46G6T) This could get really ugly for Newsweek. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/16 "2014-03-09T17:10:29Z")
If you try to do something anonymously and someone finds out and publishes it, who is to blame? Of course, Newsweek needed to have its ducks in a row first. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/17 "2014-03-11T08:30:04Z")
> [@Nomojitse](#): > > Nah, not him: [It _could_ still be.](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/03/sheriffs-deputies-confirm-newsweek-bitcoin-quotes) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/18 "2014-03-11T08:36:51Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > If you try to do something anonymously and someone finds out and publishes it, who is to blame? Since when is anonymity a right? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/19 "2014-03-11T11:25:58Z")
AFAIK the most likely candidate for the inventor of bitcoin is Nick Szabo (possibly in collaboration with other people) an American computer scientist who had been working on a decentralised digital currency called “bit gold” before the bitcoin white paper was released (strangely not referenced in the bitcoin whitepaper, despite other related concepts being discussed). [The evidence pointing to Szabo](https://likeinamirror.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/satoshi-nakamoto-is-probably-nick-szabo/) is stronger than that in the Newsweek article, including textual analysis of the writing of Szabo and whoever wrote the bitcoin white paper. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satoshi-nakamoto-inventor-of-bitcoin/683031/20 "2014-03-11T11:56:42Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > AFAIK the most likely candidate for the inventor of bitcoin is Nick Szabo (possibly in collaboration with other people) an American computer scientist who had been working on a decentralised digital currency called “bit gold” before the bitcoin white paper was released (strangely not referenced in the bitcoin whitepaper, despite other related concepts being discussed). > > [The evidence pointing to Szabo](https://likeinamirror.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/satoshi-nakamoto-is-probably-nick-szabo/) is stronger than that in the Newsweek article, including textual analysis of the writing of Szabo and whoever wrote the bitcoin white paper. This - it’s almost certainly Szabo. Note, for instance, the same initials: Nakamoto Satoshi (NS) = Nick Szabo (NS).