Meredith L Patterson, the widow of cryptographer Len Sassaman, has denied the speculation that her husband was Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. In a recent interview, Patterson said Sassaman was not involved in creating Bitcoin. She also expressed surprise that HBO did not contact her while making their documentary on the mystery.
HBO Documentary Sparks New Debate Over Satoshi Nakamoto’s Identity
The HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” reignited the debate over Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity. This film, set to release this week, has generated hypotheses regarding several candidates as the real artist behind it. As some may suggest, it may lead to Sassaman, but Patterson is sure it does not.
Since the inception of Bitcoin in 2009, several individuals have been considered the real owners of Satoshi. Some of the names we see are Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, and Adam Back. Sassaman has also been considered a possible candidate, but Patterson has always rejected this theory.
Sassaman Not Satoshi Nakamoto, Patterson Stands Firm Despite Clues
According to Patterson, Sassaman could not have been the creator because early Bitcoin had some design defects. She was quick to note that early versions of Bitcoin enabled individuals to transact Bitcoin to an IP address, which is not secure. He later removed this feature to ensure that he would not be easily identified. Patterson also points out that Sassaman was a Mac user, and early Bitcoin development was largely on Linux. For this reason, she concluded that Sassaman could not have been Satoshi.
However, Patterson does not agree, and some of Sassaman’s closest friends are not entirely closing the door on the idea. Sassaman said that Bram Cohen, the founder of BitTorrent, was his best friend. Cohen has hinted that Sassaman could have been an unknown contributor to the Cypherpunks mailing list that introduced Bitcoin. Cohen has been very reluctant to make any conclusions regarding Sassaman’s participation.
The time that Sassaman died also raises many questions. He died in July 2011, only a few months after Satoshi’s last interaction with the rest of the world. Additionally, Satoshi mentioned a conference in 1999 in Belgium, where Sassaman later got his Ph.D. These clues have continued to sustain the mystery, while Patterson stands categorical in her denials.
