An Aussie Has Outed Himself As Bitcoin’s Creator, But Not Everyone’s Buying It

For years, we’ve been wondering who created Bitcoin.

The makers of The Good Wife had their own unique theory: Jason Biggs.

But finally, Aussie entrepreneur Craig Wright has stepped out of the shadows to claim credit for inventing the online currency.

He revealed his identity to the BBC, the Economist and GQ, putting an actual name behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto (long used as a front to keep the true inventor secret).

An actual dude named Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto was confronted by Newsweek in 2014; confused by the accusations, he kept referring to it as “bitcom”, which was seen by some as confirmation he had no involvement, and others, that he was a canny liar.

Wright proved his bona fides to the BBC by digitally signing messages using cryptographic keys from the early days of Bitcoin; keys that were believed to have been “mined” by Nakamoto and sent in the first ever bitcoin transaction, back in 2009.

Chief Scientist at the Bitcoin Foundation, Gavin Andresen, has backed up Wright’s claim in a new blog post, saying, “I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt: Craig Wright is Satoshi.”

(Twist: Andresen was previously suspected of being Nakamoto too.)

However, as the BBC notes, some cryptographers and security experts are dubious of Wright, claiming that the information provided has been difficult to verify; even “maliciously resistant” to validation.

In December of 2015, Wired and Gizmodo named Wright as a likely candidate for being behind Nakamoto’s name, leading to a raid of his home. The Australian Taxation Office insists the raid was linked to an investigation of his tax payments, as opposed to Bitcoin.

Still, it seems that Wright feels his hand has been forced.

"I really do not want to be the public face of anything," he said.

"I would rather not do it. I want to work, I want to keep doing what I want to do. I don't want money. I don't want fame. I don't want adoration. I just want to be left alone."

Whoever is behind Bitcoin probably doesn’t even need to work any longer. With more than one million Bitcoins to Nakamoto’s name, the creator is worth several hundred million dollars in actual, physical cash.

Photo: iStock.