In the new HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery Documentary”, filmmaker Cullen Hobak posits that Peter Todd, a prominent Canadian Bitcoin core developer, is the elusive Bitcoin creator known as Satoshi Nakamoto. Despite the sensational claims, the evidence presented falls short of conclusive, leading to significant criticism from the BTC community.
Peter Todd, known for his substantial contributions to Bitcoin’s development post-2012, including the introduction of the replace-by-fee (RBF) protocol and work on OpenTimestamps, has been a prominent figure in the Bitcoin space. However, associating him with the creation of Bitcoin has raised eyebrows due to inconsistencies in timelines and the nature of the evidence presented.
Why Peter Todd Is Not The Bitcoin Inventor
The documentary builds its case around four main points:
#1 Use Of A Pseudonym For Credibility
HBO suggests that Todd adopted the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym to lend Bitcoin the necessary credibility during its inception. This claim is contentious, considering that in 2008, when the BTC whitepaper was published, Todd was completing a fine arts degree and had not yet entered the cryptography or computer science fields.
His involvement in Bitcoin did not begin until 2012, four years after its creation. There is no documented evidence of Todd participating in cryptographic discussions or projects prior to this period, making the assertion that he needed a pseudonym to be taken seriously implausible.
#2 A 2010 BitcoinTalk Post
A significant piece of evidence presented is a 2010 post on the BitcoinTalk forum, allegedly made from Todd’s account, which HBO interprets as Todd mistakenly posting as himself instead of under the Satoshi alias. Critics point out that the post in question appeared 13 hours after a message from Satoshi, diminishing the likelihood of it being an accidental account mix-up.
Furthermore, the content of the post does not exhibit any continuation of thought or style that would suggest it was inadvertently made by Satoshi while logged into Todd’s account. Instead, it appears as a standard interaction within the forum, consistent with the practices of use
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Author: Jake Simmons
