Craig Wright’s claim that he’s Satoshi Nakamoto is faltering more than ever
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been fascinated by the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, for over a decade as Bitcoin continues to influence the finance and technology world.
Nakamoto vanished after publishing Bitcoin’s white paper in 2008, with his name since associated with various coders, developers and so-called cyberpunks, including Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who in 2016 staged an elaborate but unconvincing demonstration that he is Nakamoto.
After years of claiming to be Nakamoto and dragging skeptics through the courts, a leaked email suggests one of Wright’s biggest supporters has lost trust. Former nChain chief executive Christen Ager-Hanssen quit his position at the Bitcoin SV infrastructure company, later leaking emails suggesting that Calvin Ayre, a former gambling billionaire who was a strong supporter of the company, doesn’t believe Wright, who is nChain’s chief scientist.
Bitcoin SV is a branch of the payments-focused Bitcoin cash, which split from the Bitcoin blockchain after the so-called blocksize war in 2017. “I can confirm I have departed from nChain Global,” said Ager-Hanssen in an X (Twitter) post. “I have also reported that I have found compelling evidence that Craig Wright has manipulated documents with the aim to deceive the court that he is Satoshi. I’m today myself convinced that Craig Wright is not Satoshi.”
I can confirm I have departed from @nChainGlobal as its Group CEO with immediate effect after reporting several serious issues to the board of nChain Group including what I believe is a conspiracy to defraud nChain shareholders orchestrated by a significant shareholder. I also… pic.twitter.com/F6rNJfRxnl
— Christen Ager-Hanssen (@agerhanssen) September 29, 2023
Ager-Hanssen then leaked an email he claims Ayre sent to Wright that apparently shows Ayre is prepared to pull his support for Wright’s numerous lawsuits, saying it’s “shocking evidence.” Ayre also warned that Wright will lose his upcoming 2024 trial against the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which “will set a precedent that you are not Satoshi in law.”
A UK court dismissed Wright’s lawsuit last month that accused crypto exchanges Coinbase and Kraken of infringing on his copyright by using the “Bitcoin” name.
Emma Rodriguez is the Proofreader at the Big Blind, with seven years of experience and five years in online gambling. She plays a crucial role in maintaining content quality by ensuring error-free, reader-friendly information about the gambling industry.
