Bitcon's Early Origins and Satoshi Nakamoto

As we approach the fourth halving of Bitcoin, the Bitcoin community has changed and evolved a lot since its inception. It's worth revisiting the early community that formed around Bitcoin.

This article looks at many recent documents released, and pieces together facts about Satoshi Nakamoto and who he might be.

Evidence examined:

- new emails released by Martti Malmi

- new emails released in Craig Wright's trial

- early internet posts by Satoshi

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Candidates:

Dorian Nakamoto:

• Shares the name "Satoshi Nakamoto", which led to him being misidentified initially.
• However, his background in physics and defense projects doesn't align with the skillset required for developing Bitcoin.

Nick Szabo:

• Created the precursor "Bit Gold" digital currency and has a background in computer science, cryptography, and law, making him a plausible candidate.
• However, his views on Bitcoin differ from Satoshi's, and he has denied involvement.

Gavin Andresen:

• Was chosen by Satoshi to take over the Bitcoin project and had direct communication with him.
• However, he claims to have learned about Bitcoin in 2010, which would be after its initial creation.

Hal Finney:

• Was the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi and was deeply involved in the cypherpunk community.
• His background in computer science and interest in extropianism align with Satoshi's profile.

Craig Wright:

• Has claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto multiple times, but his claims are widely disputed within the community.
• While he has a relevant background in computer science and security, he has not provided conclusive proof of being Satoshi.

Adam Back:

• Was one of the first to receive emails from Satoshi and has a deep understanding of Bitcoin's architecture.
• His background in cryptography and digital currencies like Hashcash make him a strong candidate.

Len Sassaman:

• Was involved in early remailer technology, which is seen as a precursor to Bitcoin's peer-to-peer architecture.
• His obituary is embedded in Bitcoin's code, suggesting a close connection to Satoshi.

Ian Grigg:

• Developed concepts like Ricardian contracts and triple-entry accounting systems, which were later used in Bitcoin.
• However, he has denied being Satoshi, although he may have been part of the team behind it.
  

Satoshi might not be a single person, but a few people who at different times took on the pseudonym.

Full post here.