It is one of the greatest mysteries of the 21st century. Who is behind the 15th largest fortune in the world?
Thursday October 30, 2008. That day, he was perhaps alone in his room rereading these few sentences over and over again. He is preparing to publish a landmark document. Nine pages of a research document to explain his desire: to create a mysterious digital currency called “bitcoin”.
Fifteen years later, his currency will make him a billionaire, sitting on a fortune estimated at $109 billion, becoming the 14th largest fortune* just ahead of Bill Gates. “Him” is Satoshi Nakamoto. His name probably doesn't mean anything to you, that's normal. Satoshi Nakamoto does not exist, it's a nickname. And no one knows his true identity.
To find out who is behind the name Satoshi Nakamoto, there is no shortage of clues. The man introduces himself as a Japanese born in 1975. For months, this visionary corresponds with curious people and collaborates with enthusiasts who have heard about the project. This is because his idea is revolutionary. Motivated by the 2008 financial crisis and the bankruptcy of several large banks, Satoshi Nakamoto wants his currency to not belong to any government or central bank. It will be completely decentralized.
At the same time, he designed a complex computer system and announced on January 3, 2009 that he owned the first 50 bitcoins in history. At the time it had no value. Did he even have an idea of his future fortune? In a few months, the man accumulates thousands and thousands of bitcoins. In total, he would have around a million of them.
But Nakamoto will never fully experience this success. As his system grew, Satoshi gave the keys to the project to collaborators and mysteriously disappeared at the end of 2010. He left behind software that would continue to live, a network that would develop without him. Last sign of life in 2011, in an email exchange: “I have moved on and will probably not be here in the future,” he wrote.
Over the years, the legend grew and the mystery thickened: who is this Satoshi Nakamoto? Nobody knows. Rumors are circulating. Sometimes he is a brilliant Japanese engineer, sometimes an American programmer, sometimes a South African criminal. Was he even alone behind this nickname? Is he dead today? However, there are clues that suggest that he is not Japanese, such as the quality of his English and the working hours which seem to correspond more to those of a Westerner.
In 2024, more than 18 million bitcoins will be in circulation. The currency is selling for gold, with values reaching $100,000 per bitcoin. Nakamoto's story has become a 21st century legend. Yet despite the fortune he created and the impact he had on the global economy, his true identity remains a secret. Satoshi Nakamoto ultimately embodies what he wanted to build. His anonymity is the symbol of the decentralization he advocates: he and his currency escape the surveillance of governments and financial institutions.
