The cryptocurrency world was abuzz with anticipation for HBO’s latest documentary, “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery”, which promised to unveil the true identity of Bitcoin’s enigmatic creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Upon its release, Peter Todd, an early Bitcoin advocate and core contributor, was identified as the mastermind behind the pioneering cryptocurrency.
The 100-minute film featured several prominent figures from the Bitcoin community, including Todd, Roger Ver, marketing expert Samson Mow, and long-time Satoshi contender Adam Back. Cullen Hoback, the documentary’s director, arrived at the conclusion that Todd was Satoshi based on circumstantial evidence drawn from early forum posts. Notably, Todd was just 23 years old when the Bitcoin white paper was published. Hoback remarked, “What if the real reason for using the name Satoshi […] was so that people could take Bitcoin seriously? So they could believe it was created by a real cryptographer and not some kid still in school?”
However, confusion reigned in the cryptocurrency community as Todd quickly refuted HBO’s claims. Taking to X, he asserted that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto.
This isn’t the first time Todd has been linked to the elusive creator. During a 2019 appearance on the *What Bitcoin Did* podcast, he quipped, “I am Satoshi, as is everyone else.”
Todd has held various roles in the cryptocurrency space over the years. According to GitHub records, he has served as an applied cryptography consultant and has been a Bitcoin Core Developer at Coinkite since 2014. Additionally, he has been involved as head scientist of Mastercoin—a communications protocol and digital currency based on the Bitcoin blockchain—since its inception.
Reflecting on his early involvement in Bitcoin, Todd revealed that he made his first purchase in October 2010 when the cryptocurrency was valued at approximately 20 cents. As of now, Bitcoin is trading at $62,319.68 following a weekly increase of 1.24%.
