NYT reporter says Adam Back is Bitcoin founders — but he denies it | Latest Tech News
A New York Times reporter claims he’s cracked one of tech’s largest mysteries by unearthing the real id of Bitcoin’s elusive founder Satoshi Nakamoto — but the person he fingered flatly denies it.
Times journo John Carreyrou on Wednesday named Adam Back, a 55-year-old British pc scientist and cryptographer, as the real Nakamoto, prompting Back to renew his denials that that’s the case.
“i’m not satoshi, but I was early in laser focus on the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash,” Back wrote on X, replying to Carreyrou’s declare.
Adam Back has repeatedly denied he is Bitcoin’s elusive creator Satoshi Nakamoto — despite a new investigation pointing to him. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Carreyrou, the previous Wall Street Journal reporter who first uncovered the Theranos scandal, wrote that he spent more than a 12 months combing through 1000’s of archived emails, discussion board posts and early web data in an effort to determine Nakamoto.
He wrote that emails and posts attributed to Nakamoto used British expressions and spellings — a sample that instructed a UK-based writer like Back.
Carreyrou pointed to a collection of other clues linking Back to the Bitcoin creator, including his invention of Hashcash, a precursor cited in the unique Bitcoin white paper.
The Times reporter also cited similarities in writing fashion, technical language and even grammar quirks common to Back and Nakamoto, along with the cryptographer’s silence when Bitcoin first launched and his emergence in the group after Nakamoto apparently disappeared.
Carreyrou used artificial intelligence instruments to analyze writing patterns and linguistic quirks in Nakamoto’s posts, though he burdened the findings weren’t definitive and relied on broader circumstantial evidence.
On social media, however, Carreyrou took a far more assured tone, declaring that the “mystery” of Nakamoto was “not anymore” unsolved and selling his reporting as having recognized Bitcoin’s creator, even teasing that the determine was a 55-year-old British man — signaling a stage of certainty that went past the more measured case laid out in his article.
The thriller of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin, has remained unsolved for 17 years. Not anymore. Read my 18-month investigation to discover out who Satoshi actually is. https://t.co/fPtaK6YHJC
— John Carreyrou (@JohnCarreyrou) April 8, 2026
The longtime cryptographer has rejected claims he is Satoshi Nakamoto, calling the evidence against him coincidence. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Carreyrou’s principle attracts in half on evidence that surfaced during a legal combat involving Craig Wright, who falsely claimed to be Bitcoin’s creator.
Materials from that case included 2008 emails exhibiting Nakamoto reaching out to Back forward of the white paper’s release — correspondence long seen as evidence that Back was not behind the pseudonym.
But Carreyrou argued the exchange could possibly be deceptive, suggesting Back could have authored both sides of the emails to create distance from the Satoshi id — a rivalry Back rejects, sustaining the messages are official and that he had no position in creating Bitcoin.
He pointed to his long historical past in the “cypherpunk” motion, writing on X that his “1992 onwards active interest in applied research on ecash, privacy tech on cypherpunks list … led to hashcash and other ideas.”
Back also dismissed the purported writing similarities, saying: “the rest is a combination of coincidence and similar phrases from people with similar experience and interests.”
He argued the findings mirror “confirmation bias,” writing that because he was energetic in early digital money discussions, “there’s some confirmation bias in finding my comments frequently on ecash topics.”
i am not satoshi, but I used to be early in laser focus on the optimistic societal implications of cryptography, online privateness and digital money, hence my ~1992 onwards energetic curiosity in utilized research on ecash, privateness tech on cypherpunks checklist which led to hashcash and other concepts.
— Adam Back (@adam3us) April 8, 2026
The Bitcoin insider says “it’s really not me” after being linked to the Satoshi Nakamoto id. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Back additional insisted he is not Bitcoin’s creator, including: “I also don’t know who satoshi is, and I think it is good for bitcoin that this is the case.”
Back repeatedly pushed back on the declare in interviews with the Times, insisting “it’s really not me,” while dismissing the evidence as inconclusive and chalking up the obvious hyperlinks to coincidence.
Carreyrou remained skeptical of Back’s repeated denials, writing that the cryptographer’s explanations often fell short and his reactions at instances appeared “defensive.”
The reporter famous that Back conceded he had the correct background and abilities to be Bitcoin’s creator and even acknowledged inconsistencies in key emails — but denied any deception, including the concept that he despatched messages to himself.
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