Using technical proof, Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has outed himself as the man behind Bitcoin, being one and the same with the perceived creator of the cryptocurrency, Satoshi Nakamoto.
On May 2, Wright published a blog post where he makes his claim. He also shared technical demonstrations with the Economist, BBC and GQ to prove that he is indeed the person who developed the foundations on which Bitcoin is built upon.
"Satoshi is dead. But this is only the beginning," wrote Wright.
By going public, Wright is looking to put an end to media speculation on who Satoshi Nakamoto really is. Media outlets have conducted their own investigations before and have come up with numerous different individuals as candidates.
In December 2015, however, following reports from Gizmodo and Wired, Wright's home was raided by Australian police after he was named by the two to be Bitcoin's founder. He was supposedly identified through leaked transcripts of legal interviews, blog posts and emails, although Satoshi Nakamoto's real identity was never revealed.
Newsweek was able to identify one Dorian Prentice as the cryptocurrency's creator back in 2014 but those claims have been denied.
The Economist believes that "important questions remain" but Gavin Andresen, Bitcoin Foundation's chief scientist, believes Wright and has published a blog to support the entrepreneur's claims.
"I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt: Craig Wright is Satoshi," he said.
Andresen flew to London to meet with Wright after an email exchange convinced him that the entrepreneur was the same person he had communicated with in 2010 and 2011. In that meeting, he witnessed messages signed with keys - keys that should only be in Satoshi Nakamoto's possession - verified on a computer that couldn't have been tampered with.
Jon Matonis, one of Bitcoin Foundation's founding directors, shares Andresen's views about the Bitcoin creator. He had been in London as well for the proof sessions and he had the chance to go over relevant data through cryptographic, technical and social lines. Matonis believes that Wright's work satisfies those three categories.
Currently, about 15.5 million Bitcoins exist, each valued at about $449. It is said that Satoshi Nakamoto - Craig Wright - is in possession of about a million Bitcoins. If those were converted to cash, they would give him a net worth of about $450 million.
