Nick Szabo, the American computer scientist, has emerged as a leading candidate to be revealed as Satoshi Nakamoto in an upcoming HBO documentary, surpassing Len Sassaman.
With Szabo still alive, confirming his identity as Nakamoto could create significant buzz in the cryptocurrency community. Reports from CoinDesk indicate that the likelihood of Sassaman being identified as Nakamoto has dropped to around 12%, partly due to recent remarks from his wife, Meredith Patterson, who stated that HBO did not consult her during the documentary’s production.
Identity of Satoshi Nakamoto
Additionally, Colin Habbock, the documentary’s producer, mentioned on October 7 that he has encountered someone he believes is the real Satoshi Nakamoto, effectively ruling out Sassaman, who passed away in 2011. Bitcoin advocate Samsow Mow has also suggested that Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, is Nakamoto, a claim that Back has firmly denied.
Szabo has been attempting to create a decentralized digital currency since 1998, originally naming it Bit Gold, which never came to fruition but is often seen as a precursor to Bitcoin due to its concepts of peer-to-peer networks and proof-of-work mining. Despite these associations, Szabo has consistently denied being Nakamoto. Habbock has teased that a specific name will be revealed in the documentary, adding to the intrigue surrounding Satoshi’s true identity.