Bitcoin developer Peter Todd recently told tech outlet Wired.com that he was concerned about being potentially harassed by "crazy people" after a much-talked-about HBO documentary identified him as Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of the original cryptocurrency.
According to the media outlet, Todd has now gone into hiding for safety reasons. He remains active on his X social media profile.
As reported by U.Today, Cullen Hoback, the American investigative filmmaker behind the documentary, faced significant backlash earlier this month after alleging that Todd is the creator of Bitcoin.
However, Hoback continues to stand his ground. He has downplayed Todd's concerns, arguing that they are "overblown." Hoback has argued that the 39-year-old Canadian is far from being the first person to be identified as Satoshi, and "nothing terrible" happened to the other candidates.
Gamza KhanzadaevAmerican computer scientist Nick Szabo, the late cypherpunk Hal Finney, and Blockstream CEO Adam Back have all emerged as potential Satoshi candidates over the past years. Notably, Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously speculated about Szabo potentially creating Bitcoin, citing his substantial contributions to the field.
Hoback insists that it is important to reveal the identity of Satoshi since he controls a large portion of the total Bitcoin supply.
According to the filmmaker, Todd wanted to remain anonymous since he was concerned about his invention not being taken seriously enough due to his young age. If Hoback's theory is true, this would mean that Todd managed to create Bitcoin when he was just in his early 20s.
Arman Shirinyan
Dan Burgin