London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Elon Musk Reveals Who Mysterious Creator of Bitcoin Might Be

Elon Musk Reveals Who Mysterious Creator of Bitcoin Might Be

From economist, programmer, and mathematician to software developer, legal scholar, and even a drug cartel boss – since the world learned about bitcoin, there has been endless speculation about who the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto is.

Tech maverick Elon Musk has unveiled the identity of the person who he believes is the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin. Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, the entrepreneur said that computer scientist and cryptographer Nick Szabo may have come up with the cryptocurrency.

Musk said that Szabo’s theories, in particular the term "smart contacts" and a decentralised digital currency named "bit gold", were fundamental to the creation of bitcoin.

"You can look at the evolution of ideas before the launch of bitcoin and see who wrote about those ideas. He claims not to be Nakamoto, but I'm not sure that's neither here nor there. But he seems to be the one more responsible for the ideas behind bitcoin than anyone else", he said.


The entrepreneur stressed that there is not much significance behind the identity of bitcoin’s creator. He then quoted a line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to back his argument.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. What is a name anyway? It's a name, attached to an idea. What does it even mean really?" Musk said.

Satoshi Nakamoto


In 2008, a person going by the name Satoshi Nakotomo published a white paper in which he described the concept for the digital cryptocurrency bitcoin. The idea was met with both interest and scepticism. Even after the price of one bitcoin rose to $150 in October 2013, the public view of the cryptocurrency was mostly negative.

However, after several years bitcoin went on to cost thousands of dollars, while the concept of the cryptocurrency has become increasingly popular. El Salvador became the first country to accept the cryptocurrency as legal tender, while major companies have started accepting bitcoin as payment, including Mastercard, Lush, Starbuck, Visa, Microsoft, and AXA Insurance. Musk, who is a big fan of cryptocurrencies and has invested in them, said Tesla will accept bitcoin too.

While bitcoin’s value continues to grow, its creator Satoshi Nakamoto (most likely a pseudonym) has kept a low profile. The only information the bitcoin mastermind has provided is that he is a male who lives in Japan, but this has been repeatedly questioned by experts and investigative journalists.

The native level use of English as well as the use of British English in source code comments and forum postings suggests that Nakomoto is of Commonwealth origin. Many programmers suggest that Satoshi is likely a team of people or a genius, as his codes are too well designed for an average person.

Over the years, numerous candidacies have been tipped as the creator of bitcoin, including Elon Musk himself, a claim he has denied.

In 2014, a group of forensic linguistics experts from Aston University analysed the white paper written by Satoshi Nakomoto and the writing of 10 potential creators of bitcoin. They concluded that "the number of linguistic similarities between Nick Szabo's writing and the bitcoin whitepaper is uncanny”.

In 2015, The New York Times wrote that "convincing evidence" points to Szabo being the creator of bitcoin. However, the computer scientist and cryptographer has dismissed the idea on multiple occasions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×