Slashdot Mirror


Is GWU Econ Prof. Nick Szabo Satoshi Nakamoto?

Pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto (whether that name represents one person or several) is believed to hold many millions of dollars in Bitcoin. Various attempts have been made to pin down Nakamoto's identity; the IB Times reports today that a (sadly anonymous) analysis points to George Washington University economics professor Nick Szabo, based on textual analysis and some other clues, such as Szabo's expertise in digital currency and his role as founder of GoldCoin. Szabo's blog Unenumerated is fascinating reading, whether or not this analysis is right.

22 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. No.. by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Funny

    ..I am Satoshi Nakamoto.

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    1. Re:No.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      No. *I* am Satoshi Nakamoto

    2. Re:No.. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      No, *I* am Satoshi Nakamoto, and so's my wife!

    3. Re:No.. by dale.furno · · Score: 2

      No, I am Cheezburger Brown

    4. Re:No.. by bazorg · · Score: 2

      I am Tiger Woods.

  2. Re:Makes perfect sense.... by nitehawk214 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nick Szabo is an anagram for A Biz Con

    Close, try

    A Biz Conks
    Cask Biz On
    Cask Biz No
    Sack Biz On
    Sack Biz No
    An Biz Sock
    Ask Biz Con
    As Biz Conk

    But my favorite is:
    Ska Biz Con

    --
    I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  3. Re:Rumor says by Captain+Hook · · Score: 2

    I have never once seen Satoshi Nakamoto dumpster diving outside a liposuction clinic.

    --
    These comments are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other voices in my head.
  4. So you're saying... by thatkid_2002 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Satoshi helped found a completely un-innovative Litecoin derivative? I think that just about invalidates the analysis.

  5. proof in the coin by schneidafunk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We'll find out who he is when the original bitcoins are used. In the meantime, an anonymous blogger making speculative claims is not really news.

    --
    Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
    1. Re:proof in the coin by schneidafunk · · Score: 2

      It's referred to as the 'genesis block', which was created by Satoshi Nakamoto. So far, those bitcoins have not been circulated and are still 'owned' by Satoshi Nakamoto. He could come out of obscurity tomorrow by using one of those bitcoins and adding a message to it.

      --
      Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
  6. Is he what? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is GWU Econ Prof. Nick Szabo Satoshi Nakamoto?

    Is GWU Econ Prof. Nick Szabo Satoshi Nakamoto what? Apart from of mixed Hungarian and Japanese descent...

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  7. If I had to guess who the founder of bitcoin was.. by idioto · · Score: 3, Funny

    When I hear about bitcoin's founder I am reminded of a homeless man I met in Palo Alto in the 1990's, in his 30's or 40's. He used to stand on the street chanting weird things and you would think he was insane, which he was. But if you talked to him, you'd realize he was pretty smart too. Anyhow, he told me about how he was getting his P.H.D. in Economics from Yale, but they rejected his thesis which was basically about private currency, as his professors equated it with counterfeiting and he subsequently went semi-mad according to him. This guy was a smart homeless guy but also a little crazy, his shopping cart had various gadgets powered by car battery, and I think there was a reason he was hanging out in the valley at that time. Find him, and you will find the creator of bitcoin.

  8. No by porksauce · · Score: 3, Funny

    According to Betteridge's Law, any news headline in the form of a question can be answered "No." Therefore we know it's not Nick Szabo.

    1. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Coming up on Slashdot next: "Can every headline question be answered No?"

  9. Re:occupy space by noh8rz10 · · Score: 3, Funny

    appropriately for the topic, this reads as COIN-TELPRO

  10. Does it really matter? by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

    I mean, The Winklevoss twins (of Facebook fame - yes those two) have claimed repeatedly that they own around 10% of all bitcoins out there spread through various safe storage locations.

    If that's true (that would be around 2M bitcoins), that would put their holdings at over $2B.

  11. Don't even try by slashmydots · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We were wondering if he was Satoshi...2-3 years ago on the bitcoin forums. It's so comical how the rest of the web is playing catch up and pretending like these are new discoveries.

  12. Why hide? by jones_supa · · Score: 2

    What is the motivation to hide behind a pseudonym as the creator of Bitcoin?

    1. Re:Why hide? by Nyder · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What is the motivation to hide behind a pseudonym as the creator of Bitcoin?

      I can think of a few things. Reporters bothering you, other idiots bothering you. Become a target for people to steal your bitcoins. Government might become more interested in you (NSA). And worse, relatives asking for money because they think you are rich.

      Ya, I think I'd stay anonymous also.

      --
      Be seeing you...
  13. Re:Rumor says by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 2

    Roddy McDowall was AWSOME wearing that ape suit and playing Satoshi Nakamoto. How can anyone not agree?

  14. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  15. Re:If I had to guess who the founder of bitcoin wa by idioto · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Yeah, I had my comment moderated as funny, which it is, but I'm serious about this guy if I had to pick someone I've met in my life it would be him (and I know a guy who has the Nobel Prize in Economics). But there are a few street people who are maybe so smart they get hay-wired.

    This guy used to stand in alley with his eyes rolled up, between the bookstore and the music shop chanting "Help me gus! Save us gus!" I used to think he was saying God, not gus, but I asked him about it. I actually didn't know he could talk at all, but I worked at the music store, and he came in, and I thought I was going to have to call the police. Then he talked normally and spoke well, and I asked him about what he was doing. He clarified his chant, sort of, at least as far as what he was saying. He wanted to buy something for his recording studio, which was a tape 4 track and other stuff that was in his shopping cart, which he showed me. I was in high school then, and I dealt with him a few times, and I think he told me about his education because I complimented his intelligence (I don't normally do that, but relative to homeless people I knew, he was smart, just crazy) and maybe I just probed people better then. Anyhow, he told me about his thesis, which me talking about is almost like the tenacious D song where it's a tribute to the greatest song in the world. I didn't really have the capacity to understand it all then (I was in H.S. talking to a mad partial PHD) so I can't spit it out verbatim, but he had me convinced at the conclusion, even perhaps the state of his condition, by virtue of his passion and reasoning despite the general premise behind his hypothesis seemed flawed to me then, and it had driven him in to exile, and he chose to go to Palo Alto for whatever reason. I don't know if he knows how to program. Maybe he learned on the mean streets.