HBO's latest documentary "Money Electric" has generated a lot of buzz for suggesting that Bitcoin developer Peter Todd may be the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. But before the show aired, Todd denied these claims. With timeline errors and conflicting details, the documentary raises more questions than it answers, leaving viewers wondering if we will ever truly know the identity of Bitcoin's founder.
Former Bitcoin Developer Peter Todd Denies He Is Satoshi
A few hours before the premiere of HBO's Satoshi Nakamoto documentary on Tuesday night, the leaked clips began to spread, saying that Peter Todd, a former Bitcoin developer, could be the mysterious creator of this cryptocurrency.
According to Cindesk, Todd responded to this statement, accusing filmmakers Cullen HoBack - who had previously discovered the identity behind the Qanon conspiracy theory in a previous HBO series - was "deliberately learning" when trying to contact Todd with Satoshi Nakamoto.
Todd xác nhận rằng cuộc phỏng vấn được trình bày trong phim tài liệu là có thật, nói rằng, "Vâng, cảnh cụ thể đó không phải là deepfake", mặc dù anh ấy đề cập rằng anh ấy vẫn chưa xem phim tài liệu. Anh ấy cũng nói thêm, "Tất nhiên, tôi không phải là Satoshi."
Todd finds it ironic that a director known for investigating QAnon is now using the same "coincidence-based" logic to fuel speculation about his involvement.
In clips shared on social media, Todd called the idea that he could be Satoshi "absurd".
On Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the New York premiere of “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” the odds on Polymarket were overwhelmingly in favor of “Other/Multiple” being the movie that reveals Satoshi’s identity. Since Todd wasn’t listed directly as an option, anyone betting on him would have had to choose the “Other/Multiple” option.
Is Peter Todd Really Satoshi? The Documentary Case Considered
The 100-minute documentary explores the origins of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency projects but fails to provide concrete evidence linking Peter Todd to Satoshi Nakamoto.
Several plot clues have been highlighted, such as Todd's early interest in cryptography, his relationship with Adam Back (who communicated with Satoshi via email), his technical expertise, and the fact that both Satoshi and Todd use British/Canadian spellings, with Todd being Canadian.
The most notable evidence presented is a 2010 public forum post in which Todd responded to one of Satoshi's posts. The filmmaker, Cullen Hoback, suggests that Todd's response was actually a continuation of Satoshi's post, mistakenly sent from Todd's account instead of Satoshi's.
However, the documentary does not conclusively state that Todd is Satoshi. Even the expected confrontation between Hoback and Todd, featured in a leaked clip, remains speculative.
Hoback also cited a blog post in which Todd claimed to be “perhaps the world’s leading expert” on how to destroy Bitcoin, although even Hoback admitted this was not conclusive evidence.
“It feels like a confession, as if Peter wants people close to him to believe that he really did destroy those bitcoins,” Hoback said. “But that’s not evidence.”
The Bitcoins mined by Satoshi have never been moved, fueling speculation that Satoshi has either died or intentionally ensured they would never access them.
