Could Nick Szalbo be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin?

Several active crypto enthusiasts on Polymarket now think that prominent computer scientist Nick Szabo could be the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto. 

After bidding farewell in 2011, Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto completely disappeared from the crypto scene, vanishing like a ghost in a midnight horror story. 

Since then, no one has ever crossed paths with Nakamoto. The renowned creator's disappearance puzzled the whole community, leaving them to wonder if they would ever hear of the Bitcoin mastermind again. 

By releasing the revolutionary Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008, Nakamoto dropped a fintech bombshell, unveiling the groundbreaking technology that marked the start of the crypto era. 

Even though nobody knew the person or group behind the pseudonym, the humble community felt Nakamoto's digital presence through emails and message boards for three years. The genius founder's last known message was an email to software developer Mike Hearn, which unveiled updates about “moving on to other things”. 

As over a decade has passed since this last communication, one may think that the crypto community has already moved forward, no longer caring about who Nakamoto really is. However, the buzz surrounding the upcoming Money Electric: the Bitcoin Mystery HBO documentary tells a different story. Apparently, the crypto community still feels like closure is due. 

What's more, the thought that Nakamoto could actually be filthy rich fuels the fiery curiosity even further. Estimates suggest that a whopping 600,000 to 1.1 million BTC could be held in his wallet.

With BTC currently trading at a price of around $62,000, this translates to at least $37 billion—meaning that Nakamoto could easily be one of the richest guys in the world.

It’s no wonder the crypto community is hyped about the documentary on the Bitcoin founder. 

Set to be released this week, the gripping documentary is one of the works of undaunted American director and filmmaker Cullen Hoback. Known for his work on the HBO miniseries Q: Into the Storm about the QAnon political conspiracy theory, the adventurous filmmaker has embarked on another investigative journey—this time focusing on unraveling Nakamoto's puzzling identity. 

In the future of money, who holds the power?

The @HBO Original Documentary #MoneyElectric: The Bitcoin Mystery premieres October 8 on @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/3gEwTqYaAq

— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) October 3, 2024

With the buzz of the upcoming HBO documentary and the release of its exhilarating trailer, Polymarket punters quickly placed their bids on certain candidates whom they believed the Bitcoin creator could be—even though the trailer didn't mention any names.

Several excited gamblers initially placed their bets on American cryptographer and cypherpunk Len Sassaman. 

While other contenders shine in their own way, Sassaman has received mainstream attention ahead of the HBO documentary release. Memecoins inspired by him and his cats have surged over Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. 

However, though bets on Sassaman reached as high as 68%, his odds starkly dropped. Eventually, prominent computer scientist Szabo outpaced his position in the Polymarket poll.  

This unexpected turn of events came with the release of a CNN interview with the American filmmaker Hoback. The interview hinted that Hoback had a face-to-face challenge with someone he believes to be Nakamoto. 

Sassaman tragically died in 2011 due to suicide. Though the timing of his death was believed to uncannily match the period of Nakamoto's departure, the hinted declaration in the CNN interview basically ruled him out. 

In addition, assertions by Sassaman's widow, Meredith Patterson have also added cracks to the proposition. In 2021, Patterson actually denied the hypothesis of Sassaman being Nakamoto. She sternly and emphatically declared that her late husband “was not Satoshi”. 

It's a very well-researched and respectful article, but to the best of my knowledge, Len was not Satoshi. Worth reading for the history and the conclusions about mental health, though. https://t.co/am4EG57YvC

— Meredith L. Patterson 💉💉 (@maradydd) February 23, 2021

She also recently told DL News that HBO never reached out to her for the groundbreaking documentary, making Sassaman an even more unlikely contender. 

As for now-leading Szabo, he founded Bit Gold, proposing a decentralized currency breakthrough way before the emergence of Bitcoin in 2008. 

Despite the noise surrounding the 13-year-old puzzle, whether the HBO documentary will finally settle the score or fuel controversy even more—and how the general community receives the likely debatable findings—is yet to be seen.