In recent Twitter activity that has ignited intrigue within the crypto community, an account claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, has resurfaced. While this development has sparked curiosity, it is important to clarify that it does not imply the actual return of Nakamoto to the crypto scene. The Twitter account in question, @satoshi, which bears Satoshi Nakamoto’s name and features a “verified account” blue checkmark, recently posted a message centered on Bitcoin’s 2008 white paper. In the tweet, the account mentioned that Bitcoin is a predictive machine.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s Twitter account sparks speculation
The tweet also went further to note that in the next few months, various aspects that were not listed in the Whitepaper would be explored. This marked the second post from the account this week, with the previous activity dating back to October 2018. However, the resurgence of this Twitter account has raised questions about the credibility of the blue checkmark verification. Many Twitter users quickly pointed out that the @satoshi account is associated with Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
Entrepreneur and former nChain CEO, Christen Ager-Hanssen, drew a connection between the timing of the @satoshi account’s activity and his efforts to expose Craig Wright. Ager-Hanssen suggested, “Isn’t it a coincidence that the @satoshi account was used during this time when I exposed Craig? That account has been taken over by Craig.” It’s worth noting that Ager-Hanssen had recently left his post and had been actively tweeting about Wright and developments at nChain. Craig Wright has been at the center of a contentious and long-standing debate regarding his claim to be the inventor of Bitcoin.
His assertions have led to various legal battles, including one involving 12 Bitcoin Core developers. These developers are supported by the Jack Dorsey-backed Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund in a dispute concerning 111,000 Bitcoin allegedly stolen from the Mt. Gox cryptocurrency exchange. In February, Wright faced a setback when he lost a copyright legal case in a UK court. He had contended that forks of Bitcoin violated his intellectual property. This legal dispute occurred even though nChain, the company where Wright serves as chief scientist, launched Bitcoin SV—a fork of Bitcoin Cash, which itself is a fork of Bitcoin—in November 2018.
Ongoing controversy surrounds Craig Wright’s claims
The debate surrounding the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has persisted for years, with various individuals, including Craig Wright, being suggested as possible candidates. Notable names that have emerged in connection to Nakamoto’s identity include SpaceX CEO and Dogecoin advocate Elon Musk, British cryptographer Adam Back, physicist Dorian Nakamoto, and computer scientists Hal Finney and Nick Szabo. In a noteworthy development, Hal Finney’s Twitter account came back online in December after a decade of inactivity.
This occurred following his passing in December 2014, and the account was utilized by Finney’s wife, Fran, to post a statement and prevent its removal after the account was briefly taken over by Elon Musk earlier in the year. The recent resurgence of the @satoshi Twitter account, coupled with the ongoing debate surrounding Craig Wright’s claims, serves as a reminder of the enduring mystery surrounding the true identity of the individual or group behind the creation of Bitcoin. While the blue checkmark verification may have sparked speculation, it does not conclusively reveal the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, leaving the crypto community with questions that remain unanswered.
