Is Jack Dorsey Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto? The debate reignites

When it comes to guessing the individuality of Satoshi Nakamoto, Jack Dorsey’s sanction hasn’t popped up excessively often.

Yet this week, a caller circular of speculation has reignited statement implicit whether the Twitter co-founder is Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator.

This is mostly acknowledgment to Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s caput of integer assets research, who said helium is convinced that Dorsey is the Bitcoin founder.

“The grounds linking Jack to Satoshi is simply a operation of method parallels, circumstantial links, patterns (including timing), uncanny coincidences, motive, and ability,” Sigel said successful an X post.

“While not definitive, the breadth of these connections is compelling and worthy of further scrutiny.”

Not a apical suspect

Dorsey, 48, leads Block, a payments processing firm, and was formerly the CEO of Twitter, which was renamed X aft Elon Musk acquired the societal media elephantine successful 2022.

Dorsey didn’t respond to a petition for comment, but has batted distant enquiries astir Nakamoto before.

In 2020, podcaster Lex Friendman asked Dorsey if helium was Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator.

“No.” Dorsey said. “If I were, would I archer you?”

In 2023, Gita Wirjawan, different podcaster, asked the aforesaid question.

Dorsey denied being Nakamoto, but said: “I’m precise grateful. And if I knew who this idiosyncratic was, oregon would ever person the honour of gathering this person, I would conscionable accidental convey you.”

If Dorsey was Satoshi, he’d person the keys to 1.1 cardinal Bitcoin worthy $107 billion.

Sigel’s speculation draws connected the enactment of deBanked main exertion Seán Murray, who developed the theory successful February past year.

Murray argues that Dorsey’s aboriginal engagement successful the cypherpunks movement, his scepticism of the fiscal system, and aboriginal adoption of Bitcoin marque him a apt candidate.

‘It did not dawn connected them that the idiosyncratic countering the assertion was Jack Dorsey.'

He points retired that important dates successful Bitcoin’s development, specified arsenic Nakamoto’s archetypal Bitcoin transaction, enactment up with what helium claims are notable events successful Dorsey’s life, specified arsenic his mother’s birthday.

On January 10, 2009, Nakamoto accidentally leaked an IP code that revealed a California location.

Murray points retired that the time before, Dorsey had attended an awards ceremonial successful San Francisco.

St. Louis connection

In 2014, 1 of Nakamoto’s email addresses was hacked.

The hacker claimed that Nakamoto’s emails contained confirmation of the Bitcoin creator’s identity.

In an effort astatine blackmail, the hacker released a screenshot of a acquisition bid that showed idiosyncratic had utilized the code to bid a Bitcoin mining instrumentality to an code successful St Louis, Missouri.

The extremity was to get Nakamoto — oregon conversely, those funny successful knowing the Bitcoin creator’s individuality — to pony up 25 Bitcoin, aft which, the hacker would uncover Nakamoto’s identity.

Some see the blackmail effort to beryllium a fake. Not Murray.

He argues that Dorsey’s ties to St Louis — helium was calved determination and the co-founders of his institution Block unrecorded determination — is much than a coincidence.

“In each the cities connected satellite Earth that idiosyncratic would usage arsenic a goof, the likelihood that they’d prime St Louis is 1/10,000,” Murray said. “It’s uncanny that this leaked screenshot that was utilized to effort and blackmail Satoshi would plainly authorities that the recipient was located successful St Louis.”

Dorsey vs Wright

More recently, Block, which Dorsey leads, helped money the Crypto Open Patent Alliance’s suit against machine idiosyncratic Craig Wright, who claimed to beryllium the creator of Bitcoin.

Wright’s attorneys argued successful aboriginal 2024 that if helium was not Satoshi “then the existent Satoshi would person been expected to travel guardant to antagonistic the claim.”

“It did not dawn connected them that the idiosyncratic countering the assertion was Jack Dorsey,” Murray said successful an X post.

In March, a London High Court justice ruled Wright wasn’t Nakamoto.

It’s not the lone imaginable lawsuit of Dorsey dropping hints he’s Nakamoto. The X laminitis has attended the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Super Bowls wearing a t-shirt with the sanction Satoshi written connected it.

While sceptics accidental the garment is Dorsey paying homage to Bitcoin and Nakamoto, Murray thinks it could beryllium much literal.

However, galore person criticised Murray’s claims, including for example, his interpretations of what helium says are hidden messages successful the random mishmash of numbers and letters that marque up Nakamoto’s Bitcoin wallet addresses.

‘Strong reactions’

Sigel’s station outlining Murray’s mentation has truthful acold been viewed implicit a cardinal times. Reactions person been mixed.

“In the tone of the cypherpunks, my nonrecreational proposal is that you STFU,” Jameson Lopp, an American cypherpunk and co-founder of Bitcoin information supplier Casa, said connected X.

Attempts to uncover Nakamoto’s individuality person elicited beardown reactions from Bitcoin backers. They reason that unmasking the Bitcoin creator could enactment the person, oregon people, successful danger.

“It’s a speech worthy having,” Sigel said, arguing that transparency could trim speculation and code marketplace fears.

Many Nakamotos

Questions astir Satoshi Nakamoto’s individuality were revived successful October, erstwhile an HBO documentary by filmmaker Cullen Hoback named Peter Todd arsenic the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator.

Todd denied Hoback’s assertion successful the documentary, and aft it aired, successful an X post.

Todd’s sanction was successful the premix on with American cryptographer Len Sassaman, who died soon aft Nakamoto sent his past nationalist messages successful 2011.

Sassaman’s widow, Meredith L Patterson, told DL News astatine the clip she didn’t deliberation helium was Nakamoto.

“The champion lawsuit against him being Satoshi is immoderate newbie mistakes successful the plan of the archetypal protocol, similar being capable to nonstop to an IP address,” she said.

Other fashionable candidates for Nakamoto’s individuality see machine idiosyncratic Nick Szabo, aboriginal Bitcoin contributor Hal Finney, and planetary transgression Paul Le Roux.

Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach retired with tips astatine [email protected].