“Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” a new documentary from HBO (WBD) debuting Tuesday, promises to unmask one of the richest and most mysterious figures on the planet: the creator of Bitcoin.
The anonymous creator, who goes by Satoshi Nakamoto, reportedly possesses approximately 1 million Bitcoin, which are stored in multiple wallets. At the current price, the amount would be worth around $63 billion.
Money Electric’s director, Cullen Hoback, claimed in a post on X sharing the documentary’s trailer to have tracked down the elusive Nakamoto.
“A few of you might have wondered why I disappeared. Well, I was tracking down someone else who disappeared,” Hoback wrote.
He previously directed the documentary series “Q: Into The Storm,” known for exposing Q, the creator of the QAnon conspiracy theory — a far-right political movement that emerged on 8chan in 2017.
This is not the first time someone has claimed to know Nakamoto’s identity. One notable example is Craig Wright, an Australian scientist who has consistently claimed to be Bitcoin’s creator. Earlier this year, he was referred to British prosecutors for allegedly committing perjury.
One day before Money Electric goes live, users on the crypto betting site Polymarket have overwhelmingly put their money on the creator being revealed as American cypherpunk and cryptographer Leonard Harris “Len” Sassaman. Sassaman passed away in 2011, shortly after Nakamoto ceased posting on Bitcointalk, an early forum for cryptocurrency discussions.
Other names have also surfaced, including Adam Back, a prominent figure in the crypto community and one of the earliest cypherpunks who helped lay the ideological groundwork for Bitcoin. However, Back has repeatedly stated that he did not create Bitcoin.
While many in the crypto space speculate that Sassaman is the true creator, Hoback has not confirmed nor denied any speculation, but promised a ‘specific name’ will be revealed on Tuesday.
Why does Bitcoin have such a mysterious history?
Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto. The pseudonym refers to the person or group that introduced the concept of Bitcoin in 2008 through a whitepaper. Nakamoto was involved in the creation of Bitcoin and blockchain until 2010 but has not been heard from since.
The inventors of Bitcoin may have wanted to remain anonymous in order to safeguard their identities from governments. Another argument suggests that this anonymity was intentional, as the core idea behind Bitcoin is to promote decentralized finance. If Satoshi’s identity were revealed, the Bitcoin blockchain may not function as effectively.
