Satoshi Nakamoto
Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonym of the person or group who published the Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and launched the Bitcoin network in 2009. Their real identity has never been confirmed.
What is documented
On 31 October 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto posted the white paper Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System to a cryptography mailing list. On 3 January 2009 Satoshi mined the genesis block, the first block of the Bitcoin blockchain, and soon released the first version of the Bitcoin software.
For roughly two years Satoshi wrote code, answered questions on forums and by email and worked with early contributors. In 2010 Satoshi handed over leadership of the software project to other developers and stopped posting publicly. The last widely cited messages from Satoshi date from around April 2011.
The mystery
Despite years of speculation, no one has proven they are Satoshi. Several people have been named by journalists or have claimed the title themselves, but none has provided convincing proof, such as signing a message with a key known to belong to Satoshi or moving coins from the earliest blocks. In March 2024 a UK High Court judge ruled that one prominent claimant, Craig Wright, is not Satoshi Nakamoto.
Satoshi is believed to have mined a large number of coins in Bitcoin's first year. Those coins, according to public blockchain analysis, have remained unmoved, although estimates of the exact amount vary.
Why it matters
Satoshi's absence is often seen as a strength. There is no founder who can be pressured, arrested or relied upon to steer the project, so Bitcoin's direction depends on its community of users, developers and miners. The smallest unit of bitcoin, one hundred-millionth of a coin, is named a satoshi in the creator's honor.
A word of caution
Scammers regularly impersonate Satoshi or claim insider links to the creator. Any claim to be Satoshi without verifiable cryptographic proof should be treated as unproven.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Satoshi Nakamoto a real person?
Satoshi certainly existed as the author of the white paper and early code, but whether it was one person or a group is unknown.
How many bitcoin does Satoshi own?
Nobody knows exactly. Researchers estimate that coins mined in 2009 and 2010 attributed to Satoshi amount to a large holding that has never moved, but these figures are estimates.
Could Satoshi still influence Bitcoin?
Not over the rules, which are enforced by the network's nodes. Satoshi could move their coins, which would be visible on the blockchain.
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