Australian businessman Craig Wright has publicly identified himself as the creator of bitcoin. (BBC News) Bitcoin ’s creator stayed in the shadows for years. Known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto , the programmer or team that masterminded the digital currency remained anonymous.
Bitcoin launched in 2009, and as the years passed, curiosity deepened. Newsweek once purported to have found the answer: In 2014 the magazine pointed to Los Angeles-area resident Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, sparking a media frenzy and multi-city car chase. But it wasn’t him. So the search continued.
Now an Australian businessman named Craig Wright has stepped forward, saying he is the Satoshi Nakamoto the world has been seeking. Who is Craig Wright?
On his website , Wright describes himself as a computer scientist, inventor and businessman. He says he was born in 1970 in Brisbane, Australia, and has several master’s degrees and a doctorate in theology. He also says he has submitted a completed thesis for a second doctorate in computer science.
The Economist — which, along with the BBC and GQ, interviewed Wright — reported that Wright provided diplomas and other “backup material” to prove nearly all of his degrees, and that most could be confirmed through the universities. However, the doctorate in theology “remains a mystery”: The Economist said Wright did not want to talk about it, saying that it had “no relevance.”
Wright’s biography also lists many previous jobs relating to computer science, IT and cybersecurity. Why did Wright come forward?
Wright told the BBC that the decision to speak out was "not because of my choice."
Wired and Gizmodo published articles last year naming Wright as the potential creator of bitcoin. He said such pieces have encouraged more reporters to seek him and people he knows."There are lots of stories out there that have been made up […]
