Hal Finney and Friends: DOGE Creator Believes They Are Satoshi

Billy Markus, known on social media as Shibetoshi Nakamoto—a playful nod to the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto—co-created Dogecoin in collaboration with Jackson Palmer in 2013. Recently, Markus shared his thoughts on who he believes might be the real Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.

In a comment on his own tweet, Markus mentioned that Peter Todd was named in the HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” as a potential Satoshi. However, he clarified that Todd did not write the Bitcoin white paper.

In a tweet, Shibetoshi Nakamoto stated, “It’s not Peter Todd bro,” along with a facepalming emoji. He went on to respond to a Dogecoin enthusiast’s question regarding his educated guess on Satoshi’s identity by suggesting, “Hal Finney and friends.” Hal Finney, a notable software engineer, was the recipient of the first Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto’s wallet before he tragically passed away in 2014 due to complications from ALS.

Regarding Peter Todd, who was mentioned in the documentary, Markus tweeted, “He’s one of the more OG core devs but not the creator.” Prior to the documentary’s release, Markus expressed curiosity on Twitter about whether Bitcoin’s value would plummet following the anticipated reveal of Satoshi’s identity.

Following the documentary’s release, Peter Todd reiterated that he is not Satoshi, having denied such claims multiple times over the years. He criticized the film’s director, Cullen Hoback, for putting his life at risk with what he deemed an “irresponsible” documentary. The Bitcoin community has also criticized the film for failing to provide substantial evidence linking Todd to the creation of Bitcoin.

Before the documentary came out, the most popular bet on the prediction platform Polymarket was Len Sassaman, a cryptographer who took his own life in 2011—just a few months after Satoshi announced his departure from Bitcoin.