It Still Doesn’t Matter Who Satoshi Is

Satoshi Nakamoto

The Bitcoin-sphere has been a-buzz about clumsy revelations that Dr. Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto. I refuse to link to the pieces in mind as these the authors clearly care more about getting clicks than making sure their claims are valid.

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Since the accusation, Wright’s Australian residence was broken into in an allegedly unrelated raid and the Dr. has deleted blog posts and his Twitter account. The reasons for his departure from public life are obvious: if someone said you were sitting on 1.1 million bitcoin (about $460 million) then you’d go into hiding too. Aside from government thugs targeting you, common thieves would also be interested in your stash. For someone who has a family like Dr. Wright, the prospect must be terrifying.

The most revealing the identity of Satoshi can accomplish is the disruption of the accused individual’s life and possibly even threats to it. I’m quick to scoff at claims that this person or that person is Satoshi because 1. it doesn’t matter for the tech to work efficiently and 2. “journalism” today is rife with errors because it prioritizes clicks over the integrity of the content. The same is true of most news reported, the first reports are usually riddled with errors and the actual corrections come later after attention is grabbed by misleading and flashy headlines. Until we learn to ignore these “breaking” flashy headlines and wait for the full picture to come out, I don’t see the state of journalism or independent research improving.

But whether or not Dr. Wright is Satoshi or an elaborate hoaxer, it still matters as little as it always has. Despite claims that we need a figurehead to come back and influence consensus the truth is Satoshi disappeared for a reason. The technology he/she/they gave us transcends individuals and ideology. The message that was left was one of decentralization and financial autonomy — Satoshi didn’t want to lead anymore than he wanted us to follow.

To use a holiday analogy, Satoshi is a bit like the ultimate Santa only he does actually exist and the gift he left us with can benefit millions of people around the world. And he doesn’t eat all your cookies and milk. Satoshi isn’t a god or some savior — just a cypherpunk that wants us to be free. Bitcoin has no leader and shouldn’t. Calls for his return miss this crucial point and misunderstand the fundamental philosophies inherent in Bitcoin technology.

Dorian Nakamoto’s life was nearly ruined because Newsweek decided to push out a half baked story and every time “journalists” make these inaccurate claims they cause irreversible damage. Don’t take the bait and remember “Waiting is, until fullness.” And fullness has been here for years through the tech not the man.

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