Just a quick update on Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto of Temple City, the man Newsweek says is the inventor of Bitcoin. He has hired a lawyer and released a statement:
In the statement, Nakamoto says: “I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report….My background is in engineering. I also have the ability to program. My most recent job was as an electrical engineer troubleshooting air traffic control equipment for the FAA. I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies.”
The Newsweek story also notes what appears to be a strange gap in his resume over the last decade, the time during which the bitcoin code was written and released. Nakamoto explains:
“I have not been able to find steady work as an engineer or programmer for ten years. I have worked as a laborer, polltaker, and substitute teacher. I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress. I am trying to recover from prostate surgery in October 2012 and a stroke I suffered in October of 2013. My prospects for gainful employment has been harmed because of Newsweek’s article.”
I’ll confess that I’m surprised by how this story has progressed. The fact that the “Satoshi Nakamoto” who invented Bitcoin managed to stay anonymous for several years isn’t too remarkable. Trying to identify a single person out of 7 billion is hard. But once a particular person was identified, I expected that the online community would turn its talents on the guy like a laser beam, fairly quickly establishing without doubt whether he is or isn’t the right guy. But that hasn’t really happened. We still don’t know for sure.
Along with his unconditional statement, though, the fact that Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto hasn’t been conclusively identified as the Bitcoin founder is bad news for Newsweek. If he were really the guy, there would probably be a whole lot more evidence today than there was two weeks ago.
