Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin and author of its original reference implementation. However, there has been much speculation over the years about Satoshi’s true identity. One name that often comes up is Nick Szabo, but here are some reasons why most experts don’t believe Nick Szabo is Satoshi:
Background and Writing Style Differences
Satoshi Nakamoto’s writing in the Bitcoin whitepaper and on cryptography mailing lists shows someone well-versed in economics and cryptography. Nick Szabo is a computer scientist and legal scholar with expertise in cryptography and digital currencies, so he seems like a plausible candidate. However, analysis of Szabo’s writing style compared to Satoshi’s shows key differences:
- Szabo’s writing style is more formal and academic compared to Satoshi’s clearer, more concise explanations for a general audience.
- Szabo tends to use more complex vocabulary and phrasing than Satoshi’s direct style.
- Stylistic analysis shows Satoshi’s writing more closely matches other technical writers at the time than Szabo’s distinct scholarly voice.
Background in Economics
Satoshi clearly had a deep understanding of economics that he incorporated into Bitcoin’s design. He cites Austrian school economists like Friedrich Hayek in his writings. Nick Szabo comes from a legal and computer science background with less demonstrated expertise in economics. His ideas like bit gold focused more narrowly on cryptography.
Timing of Bitcoin Release
Bitcoin’s whitepaper was first published in late 2008 and the network launched in early 2009. However, Szabo was still actively writing and publishing other vague ideas for digital currency like bit gold between 2005-2008. If he had already conceived of Bitcoin, it seems unlikely he would continue publishing related ideas after the fact.
Lack of Verifiable Links
There is no strong evidence publicly verifying that Nick Szabo is Satoshi Nakamoto. Szabo has denied being Satoshi. Analysis of Szabo’s writing, background, and timeline makes Satoshi’s true identity still a mystery.
Use of a Pseudonym
Satoshi Nakamoto is a pseudonym and Bitcoin’s creator remains anonymous. This suggests they wanted to separate their personal identity from the project. If Szabo was Satoshi, it’s reasonable to assume he would leverage his existing reputation in the cryptography space when introducing Bitcoin under his real name.
Conclusion
While Nick Szabo remains one of the most compelling candidates to be Satoshi Nakamoto, analysis makes clear there are still too many unanswered questions to conclusively name him as the creator. Satoshi’s writing shows different patterns than Szabo’s, and Szabo’s expertise is more narrowly focused than the interdisciplinary knowledge needed for Bitcoin’s success. Unless Satoshi reveals his identity, it’s likely we will never have definitive proof of who invented Bitcoin.