Blockchain co-inventor is not Satoshi Nakamoto

Blockchain co-inventor Scott Stornetta explains the origin of the name “Satoshi Nakamoto” and why it is not.

The identity of the Bitcoin inventor is probably one of the greatest mysteries on the Internet and in the history of digital technology. Rather, it seems to be a spirit, on whose substance myths and legends are woven.

Who is Dr. W. Scott Stornetta?

He was a visionary ahead of his time, so far ahead that he already spoke about blockchain technology in 1991, which led him to be considered the “father of blockchain”. He is also a renowned physicist, scientific researcher and a notable personality in cryptography and distributed computing.

One of his most outstanding jobs was at Bell Communications Research (Bellcore). A company specializing in telecommunications research and development. Stornetta mainly served as a scientific researcher.

After that and until today he continues his role as a researcher to improve the current situation of the technology. Considering that its potential can be used even more than we currently know.

Contributions and contributions to blockchain technology

In 1991, Stornetta developed her first job together with Stuart Haber. What was to create a blockchain that was cryptographically protected.

Many of the principles proposed in this and other subsequent documents have been used by Satoshi Nakamoto. Long before Bitcoin, Huber and Stornetta founded their own blockchain network, which is considered the first of its kind and still works today.

“Satoshi Nakamoto”

As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon religion), Stornetta went to Japan as a missionary to speak fluent Japanese. Then he gave him a job as a patent translator.

Stornetta explained about possible interpretations of the name “Satoshi Nakamoto”:

“You can buy a full dictionary that is just a Japanese name. And then Satoshi could have 20 different kanji to support him. But of course I tend to think that ‘Satoru’ is a Japanese word ‘to know’, ‘to be wise’. “

On the other hand, the family name “Nakamoto” is a very common Japanese name, simply “like Smith or Johnson”. However, if you split it into Kanjis, one possible interpretation would be: ““Naka” obviously means that the center of “Moto” is the origin of“”

Similar interpretations sparked a conspiracy idea that Bitcoin was created by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Why I am not Satoshi

Stornetta said that while his Japanese work and fluency made him a perfect candidate, he had always clearly denied it. In addition, he presented an ideological argument as to why he was not Satoshi:

“”And so much of our focus focused on the ability to continually renew the integrity of the registry over time, so that registrations take decades, if not centuries, and we will survive quantum-resistant computing and all of these things. And Satoshi paid no attention to that“”

Some suspects

Several developers have been suspected of being the person behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, but all have denied this possibility.

Perhaps the most famous and not the most positive of all is Craig Wright, better known as Faketoshi.

Nick Szabo

Outstanding American cryptographer. To begin with, he is the designer of the so-called “Bit Gold”, in which a participant can use computing power to solve cryptographic puzzles to validate transactions.

Something identical to bitcoin. He is also considered the father of smart contracts. This contributed to the fact that he used pseudonyms in 1990 and was one of the first supporters of Bitcoin.

Wei Dai

He is a brilliant computer engineer who has made several contributions in the field of cryptography. But perhaps this suggests most that his name already emerged from the Bitcoin White Paper as the creator of “b-money”, the predecessor of the first cryptocurrency, and was used as a reference for his design.

However, Dai not only denied being Satoshi, but also believes that he didn’t even read his suggestion well before reinventing himself.

Hal Finney

He was a cryptographer and enthusiastic activist, inventor of the first proof of work (PoW) system that was later implemented in Bitcoin. He was also the first to receive Bitcoin and one of the first developers of the software.

Craig Wright

He is an Australian computer scientist and entrepreneur. And while he appears to have the necessary skills, his willingness to appear in public and declare himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto without hard evidence contradicts the ideology.

Stornetta, He stated that he did not know the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, but nevertheless dismissed Craig Wright: “I don’t think it’s Craig Wright, let’s put it that way.”

He believes that we should try to understand Satoshi’s vision of Bitcoin to understand how we can progress. In addition, he believes Bitcoin is more art than science:

“”I am on the side who believes that what was done with Bitcoin was certainly a great job. But it’s more of a work of art, a technical work of art, that opens the door to a number of possibilities, but in no way is it the best final solution that can be built“”

Although Stornetta may not be Satoshi Nakamoto, his work is vital for Bitcoin and the entire cryptocurrency field.

But it’s clear: Satoshi Nakamoto is the father of blockchain.