Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist, claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto – the alias used by whoever or whomever created bitcoin.
In a recent interview with an Australian television program, Craig Wright reinforced his claims that he is the creator of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency in the world.
Wright emphasized that there are those who know him and can verify that he is truly Satoshi Nakamoto.
He asserts:
“Proof is always people… I mean, I had family, I had friends. I’ve got people who are high up in the industry.”
Image: CNBC
Many Don’t Buy Craig Wright’s Assertion
Craig Wright’s claim is viewed with a massive grain of salt by many members of the crypto community. In a 2016 blog post, he implied that he was Satoshi.
One reason for this is that, as far as anyone knows, Satoshi never mined any of the bitcoins that he claims to have mined.
Wright’s failure to transmit a message from the private key that matches the public key of Bitcoin’s “Genesis Block” – the term given to the first block ever mined – is a key reason why his assertions have been widely disregarded up to this point.
Despite the fact that he was unable to transmit a message from the private key corresponding to the public key of Bitcoin Block 0, he attempted to use a vehicle key analogy.
“Keys cannot serve as evidence. If I own your car keys, that doesn’t mean I own your car. Honestly, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Wright argued.
Craig Wright’s F Bomb On TV
Meanwhile, when Wright’s interviewer, Hamish Macdonald, requested additional proof of his claim, things went bad.
In response, Wright instructed Macdonald to take up a law book and examine the definition of “proof.”
Then Wright began to use the F-bomb:
“And when you return, and you actually know what the f**k you’re talking about, then we can have a discussion. Otherwise, you’re just being a w****r.”
When asked about his combative behavior, Wright stated that he did not hesitate to retaliate against Macdonald since he is an Australian.
But, the “damage” has been done and a word that wasn’t fit for TV consumption was spewed out and into the ears of the viewers.
BTC total market cap at $444.3 billion on the daily chart | Source: TradingView.com
Craig Wright’s ‘Difficult Life’ – And His 1.1 Million BTC
Wright asserts that being the creator of Bitcoin has made his life more difficult.
His remark sparked curiosity and suspicion within Bitcoin’s community. Some backed up his claim.
For instance, Gavin Andresen, a director of the Bitcoin Foundation who interacted with Nakamoto while performing initial technical work for Bitcoin, said that he was convinced “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Craig Wright was Satoshi.
However, most skeptics have expressed doubts by Wright’s narrative and have demanded definitive evidence.
Dan Kaminsky, a security expert, used Wright’s failed attempt to substantiate his claims to support his argument that the whole procedure was fraudulent.
In 2021, Andresen recanted his prior assertion, stating that he had made an error.
Wright has been confirmed to possess around 1.1 million bitcoins, valued at nearly $25 billion as of June 2022.
Featured image from The Conversation, Chart from TradingView.com