Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd has denied claims that he is in hiding following accusations made in the recent HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. Todd’s denial comes after a Wired article suggested he had gone into hiding following the documentary’s release.
Todd appeared publicly at a Bitcoin conference in Lugano today, where a statue honoring Nakamoto was unveiled. He is scheduled to speak at five more international events in the coming weeks. This public presence directly contradicts the narrative of him being in hiding.
The documentary, directed by Cullen Hoback, presented circumstantial evidence suggesting Todd’s connection to Satoshi Nakamoto, including similarities in writing styles and Todd’s early experiments with digital currency. Hoback also highlighted a blog post allegedly authored by Todd that he believes was mistakenly published on the wrong account and should have been attributed to Satoshi. Todd dismissed these claims as “ludicrous” in the documentary.
While confirming he has implemented additional security measures since the documentary aired, Todd declined to elaborate on the specifics, stating, “It’s best to keep the bad guys guessing.” He emphasized to Decrypt on Friday that these measures do not equate to hiding.
Interestingly, despite the increased public attention from the documentary, Todd claims he hasn’t been recognized or approached by anyone in public. He attributes this partly to his refusal to participate in audio/video interviews with journalists following the film’s release.
This is not the first time Todd has faced scrutiny regarding his potential connection to Satoshi Nakamoto. His long-standing involvement with Bitcoin since its early days has led to previous speculations about his role in the cryptocurrency’s creation.
