Despite this, until now the biggest mystery surrounding bitcoin, the original cryptocoin and the most valuable symbol of the two trillion-dollar cryptocurrency industry, has been the identity of its founder, who like Homer, invented in anonymity and called himself Satoshi Nakamoto. Despite a number of attempts, including a HBO documentary which spectacularly misread the signals and blamed my friend Peter Todd as Nakamoto, the figure remains as shadowy as before, and the cryptocommunity seems equally indifferent to the revelations.
Curiosity about Nakamoto goes far beyond an interest in who created this new crypto stuff, or who might succeed in stepping up to lead a religious movement of cypherpunks and revolutionaries. It also involves immense financial stakes, since Nakamoto likely has more than a million bitcoins that could be worth several billion dollars, at least if bitcoin prices continue to break records as they have been doing. In fact, curiosity about Nakamoto recently hit a fever pitch when a ticket salesman tried and failed to profit from it by hosting a breathless ‘meet Satoshi Nakamoto’ event. Buying a $100 ticket got you a chance to hear Nakamoto speak (though possibly a recording) and ask a single question, while blowing $10,000 got you VIP treatment including unlimited questions, a branded T-shirt, or even the option to conduct an interview with Nakamoto. The proof of work here was holding the Satoshi’s attention long enough to convince him to talk and sign an autograph. Clearly, people remain as curious as ever about Bitcoin’s creator.
Source: BBC
