Almost ten years on after bitcoin (Bitcoin) was created and the only thing the world knows about the person behind it for sure is that the name is not Satoshi Nakamoto. But the fact that we know so little about the person could soon change.
A mysterious website appeared where a man claiming to Satoshi himself, announces his intention to write two books on how, why and by whom the bitcoin was created.
“Announcing the first excerpt to a literary work consisting of two parts. … A short story if you will, with some of the most brought up questions and answers. I wanted the people and the facts to be known.”
In the true style of Nakamoto a cryptogramme is included in the message. Following the link and solving an easy task will yield two words: ‘honne and tatamae’ which are supposedly the names of the two books. The author promises to reveal any further information in the coming month. So the only thing we can do for now is head over to to the nearest bookshelf or an online dictionary to find out the meaning of these two ambiguous words.
But perhaps, even more curiously the author also attached a 21-page document containing a taste of what is likely to come. He or she has called it “an excerpt” where the first line reads - “It was inevitable.”
“Satoshi Nakamoto is not a real name. Specifically, not a legal name. It is primarily the essence of thoughts and reason.”
There, Satoshi goes through some of the investigations undertaken to uncover the identity. While admitting that some of the deductions were correct, those looking for the true name have still a way to go. But despite saying that the truth behind who Satoshi really is, is way too special to reveal at this stage, throughout the read, the author implies that only two people worked at the initial stage of bitcoin’s development. Satoshi himself and Hal Finney, a developer who passed away in 2014. But the author says that the question of 'who is Satoshi Nakamoto?' - will be answered in the books. From page seven onwards, the reader is taken on a tour of how bitcoin came to be and by what means some key decisions that define the currency and the way it works were thought of.
Of course, we don’t know if it’s Satoshi who wrote the post and if the two books will reveal the name of a person or a group behind bitcoin despite the promises. But we may get a slightly bigger glimpse into the mystery that has been apparently a challenge even for America’s CIA, as in past said they said: “can neither confirm nor deny” having information on Satoshi.
Almost all crypto enthusiasts have their own idea of who Nakamoto could be, as several names have been speculated over by the media. One such, Craig Wright, an academic who actually claims to be Satoshi has called the latest release a hoax: “Nakamotofamilyfoundation cannot get the dates nor technical details correct.”
For now, no one knows who is right, so, we can only be patient. It's only been nearly ten years of not knowing who Satoshi is, so whats a few more months of waiting mean if they could bring us closer to getting some answers.