Peter Todd denies being Satoshi after HBO movie claims

A new HBO documentary, “Electric Money: The Bitcoin Mystery,” by Cullen Hoback, aired on October 8. It suggests that Peter Todd, a 39-year-old software developer, could be Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin.

However, the evidence in the documentary is largely circumstantial, focusing on Todd’s early involvement with Bitcoin and his connections to other key figures, such as cryptographer Adam Back.

Key pieces of evidence include a 2010 forum post in which Todd appears to be continuing Nakamoto’s thoughts, and a chat transcript in which Todd talks about “sacrificing” Bitcoins.

The filmmaker interprets this as a potential reference to Satoshi’s intact BTC stash, which is over a million coins worth around $65 billion.

Todd: I’m not Satoshi

BitMEX Research said, “This is clearly ridiculous” and is just one example of Todd responding to Satoshi with a “sarcastic, pedantic and accurate comment.”

“That’s the kind of comment Peter could make today. There’s no reason to believe that was Satoshi.

According to Forbes, HBO will tell @peterktodd it’s Satoshi…

The Forbes article states that “a 2010 BitcoinTalk post responding to Satoshi Nakamoto that (Cullen) Hoback believes was accidentally posted with Todd’s profile.”

This is clearly ridiculous! It’s just an example of… pic.twitter.com/mjFnHn7Zak

— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) October 8, 2024

Todd is not well known in crypto circles, but maintains a presence on X, where he has 167,000 followers. He has a controversial online persona and connections to Ukraine, and posted this on October 9 after popular media picked up the story.

“I have some personal connections to Ukraine and have been there several times during the large-scale invasion (…) giving talks to the Ukrainian Bitcoin community.”

According to a CNN interview with the documentary’s director, Cullen Hoback, Peter Todd explicitly denied being Satoshi Nakamoto, calling the film “irresponsible” and claiming it endangered his life.

Todd stated that HBO did not approach him prior to the film’s release and offer him the opportunity to screen it, but Hoback remains confident in his conclusion despite the denial.

“Cullen is grasping at straws here,” Todd told CNN before adding, “He’s playing some coincidences into something much more. Ironic, really — that’s a hallmark of conspiratorial thinking.”

Plot twist: It was signed by Adam Back pretending to be me impersonating him. https://t.co/ebeQRGOJiA

— Peter Todd (@peterktodd) October 7, 2024

So who is he?

Todd is a 39-year-old graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, and would have been 23 when the Bitcoin white paper was being completed.

He claims he started communicating with key crypto influencers and cypherpunks when he was about 15 years old.

Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter, who has known Todd since 2017, said, “He’s one of the biggest Bitcoiners, from a technical perspective,” but he doesn’t think he’s Satoshi.

Bitcoiner Jameson Lopp was also skeptical about the claim.

Wherever Satoshi is, I like to think they’re laughing at this latest round of nonsense.

— Jameson Lopp (@lopp) October 8, 2024

There was no reaction in the Bitcoin markets, with the asset doing the same in its limited channel and changing hands at $62,260 at the time of writing.

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