A forthcoming HBO documentary is set to reveal the identity of the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, according to a report in Politico. If true, the documentary would finally put an end to one of the greatest mysteries in financial history.
Traders Bet That Satoshi Nakamoto is Len Sassaman
Satoshi Nakamoto, believed to be worth an estimated $67 billion in Bitcoin, has remained anonymous since the cryptocurrency’s inception in 2009. As anticipation grows for the HBO show, which is scheduled to air on October 8, a betting pool on Polymarket has opened, allowing users to wager on who they think the documentary will name as the creator of Bitcoin.
Several individuals have emerged as frontrunners in the speculation, including:
- Len Sassaman: A majority of Polymarket bettors currently favor Sassaman, who was an early digital privacy advocate and cryptographer. His involvement in the cypherpunk movement and his work on privacy technologies have led to speculation about his connection to Bitcoin.
- Hal Finney: A renowned cryptographer and early Bitcoin adopter, Finney was the recipient of the first-ever Bitcoin transaction. Despite denying being Satoshi, his close involvement with Bitcoin’s development and his declining health have made him a potential candidate.
- Adam Back: As the CEO of Blockstream and the inventor of Hashcash, a Proof of Work system that inspired Bitcoin’s consensus mechanism, Back has been a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency space. While he has consistently denied being Satoshi, his technical skills and early influence on Bitcoin’s structure have made him a plausible candidate.
- Nick Szabo: A computer scientist and cryptographer known for his work on Bit Gold, a precursor to Bitcoin, Szabo has been frequently mentioned as a potential candidate due to the similarities between his work and Bitcoin’s principles.
Here’s odds as of this article’s publishing time:
- Len Sassaman (50%)
- Hal Finney (11%)
- Nick Szabo (4%)
- Adam Back (6%)
- Craig Wright (1%)
- Dorian Nakamoto (1%)
- Wei Dai (<1%)
- Gavin Andresen (<1%)
- Elon Musk (<1%)
- Jed McCaleb (<1%)
- David Kleiman (1%)
- Shinichi Mochizuk (1%)
- Paul Le Roux (8%)
- Gavin Wood (1%)
- Vili Lehdonvirta (<1%)
- Other/Multiple (23%)
