Is BTC Developer Peter Todd Satoshi Nakamoto? HBO Documentary Hints

HBO documentary Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery has sparked discussions in the broader financial market, with a recent leak hinting at the true identity of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The clips that surfaced on social media platforms indicate that Peter Todd, a former Bitcoin Core developer, might be unmasked as the person behind the name.

Is Peter Todd Satoshi Nakamoto?

Peter Todd, a developer who has been involved in the development of the Bitcoin, has strongly claimed that he is not Nakamoto. Todd has been involved in the cryptocurrency industry since 2010, has worked on the Bitcoin Core, and has founded OpenTimestamps. However, per the developer’s claims, he is not the person behind the pseudo-name that created BTC.

Intriguingly, the leak is based on the videos posted on X (previously Twitter) by @theblockcitizen where Todd is apparently seen speaking about his involvement in the initial phase of Bitcoin.

Moreover, Cullen Hoback reveals in the documentary  that Todd could be Bitcoin creator Nakamoto, based on the specific logs and posts from the Bitcoin forums. In a message obtained from Todd, Hoback said that Todd might have deleted the only way through which he could get to the 1.1 million Bitcoin, which he alleged belonged to Nakamoto. The Bitcoin developer, however, dismissed such allegations through a statement where he described the theory as absurd and accused Hoback of trying to seek an explanation wherever he could.

HBO Documentary Premiers Amid Controversy

In the run-up to the premiere, several fragments from the documentary were posted on the Internet, and people began to wonder what conclusions the film would make. In one of the most telling scenes, Hoback comes right out and tells Todd that he is Nakamoto. 

Although Bitcoin developer Peter Todd is not the only person presumed to be Nakamoto, the leak of the documentary has brought attention to him. However, the majority of the members within the crypto community continue to dismiss the allegations and refute the claims as fake and baseless. Adam Back, who has also been speculated to be Nakamoto, has not come out to refute the opinions made in the documentary.

Concurrently, on Polymarket people have placed their bets on different people who might be Satoshi Nakamoto. Prior to the leak, American computer scientist Nick Szabo and cryptographer Len Sassaman were widely considered leaders in the pack. However, as the leaks became more popular, the choice of “Other/multiple” has become a favorite one.

The documentary IMDb page also attracted attention when it was changed to include nearly every actor in the film as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, which may be a nod to the “We Are All Satoshi” phenomenon that has been circulating in the crypto community. However, the page was later on reverted back to normal but this tactic only added more controversy to the documentary’s purpose.