As a seasoned researcher with over two decades of experience in the field of cybersecurity and cryptography, I have followed the Bitcoin phenomenon since its inception. The upcoming HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” has piqued my interest, especially given the claim that Leonard Harris Sassaman, a fellow cypherpunk and cryptographer, might be the mysterious figure behind Satoshi Nakamoto.


On October 8th, an upcoming HBO documentary titled “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Enigma” asserts it will reveal who created the Bitcoin digital network.

As a passionate crypto investor, I can’t help but notice the rising star in the cryptosphere – the brilliant American cypherpunk and cryptographer, Len Sassaman.

In July 2011, Sassaman took his own life. As a touching tribute, a message was embedded in Bitcoin block number 138,725 on July 30, 2011, which read:

In this section, you’ll find a representation of the late American tech pioneer and cryptographer Leonard Harris Sassaman, depicted through ASCII art.

Who Was Len Sassaman?

On October 6th, ‘symbiote’, a cryptocurrency researcher, shared his observations about the HBO theory, indicating that there are some “fragile or slender clues” that align with it.

It was noted that Sassaman boasted a strong academic background and proficiency in the field of cryptography. Moreover, linguistic examination hinted at resemblances between his writings and those attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. He made this observation prior to further stating:

The aspect of the evidence that stands out most is the fact that Nakamoto stopped communicating approximately two months prior to Sassaman’s passing.

It’s worth noting that his suicide note was made up of twenty-four seemingly random words, strikingly similar to the seed phrases used in cryptocurrency wallets, as an additional point.

This is Len Sassaman – the man who holds $64B in $BTC
He might be a Satoshi Nakamoto, the man who created Bitcoin
I spent ~10 hours researching data: the info I found shocked me
Here is the story of the biggest crypto billionaire ever
— symbiote (@cryptosymbiiote) October 5, 2024

On October 6th, researcher ‘ardizor’ provided additional support for the theory in a post on X, stating that since a young age, Len has been deeply concerned about privacy and advocated for the need to safeguard the internet against surveillance.

He belonged to the Internet Engineering Task Force, a group instrumental in developing the TCP/IP protocol essential for the functioning of the Internet.

Additionally, Sassaman played a significant role in the development of crucial privacy projects like the Pretty Good Privacy tool and the GNU Privacy Guard software.

As a pioneering Bitcoin user, I had the privilege of using this revolutionary cryptocurrency alongside my friend Hal Finney, who was the fortunate recipient of the very first Bitcoin transaction sent by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Whether Sassaman is Satoshi remains to be seen, but some would be happier if he remained anonymous.

The world is better off not knowing who Satoshi Nakamoto was.

— Anthony Pompliano (@APompliano) October 6, 2024

Big BTC Stash Untouched

On Polymarket, it’s Sassaman who currently has the highest probability – about 36% – of being identified as the creator of Bitcoin. However, other notable figures such as Hal Finney, Adam Back, and Nick Szabo are also strong contenders in this debate.

Yet, in a tweet posted in 2021, Sassaman’s wife expressed her doubts that he was the man behind Bitcoin’s invention.

The disclosure might benefit the network and Bitcoin owners, as Sassaman is no longer active, and the individual who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto possesses over a million Bitcoins spread across numerous wallets, which may now stay undisturbed indefinitely.

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2024-10-07 16:05