Google the name Craig Wright, and among of the top results would be the question, “Is Craig Wright Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto?”
Wright, an Australian computer scientist and businessman, has already confirmed his part in creating Bitcoin, and identified himself as Satoshi Nakamoto—the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology. Yet Wright’s statement has been widely regarded with skepticism, with doubters immediately finding fault with his claims.
It’s interesting to note that despite his credentials always being questioned, Wright has been questioned by the brother of deceased Bitcoin pioneer Dave Kleiman. The complaint claimed Wright amassed a stash of 1.1m Bitcoins, but didn’t dispute the Australian computer scientist’s place as a key figure at the early development of the cryptocurrency.
Now he’s coming clean.
I was Satoshi
In a Medium post, titled “Careful what you wish for,” Wright wrote how Bitcoin got its start as well as the challenges it weathered, explaining along the way why he left and why he’s returned. He said:
“I had a lot of help along the way. Without Hal, the code would have crashed time after time. I am not going to list the people who helped my [sic] here, but Bitcoin started because of my ideas. It was my design and it is my creation. And, making certain that it cannot be subverted by criminals is and remains my duty. I was Satoshi.”
The post also addressed why Silk Road failed. Simply put, the nature of the blockchain doesn’t allow it to be crime-friendly. Because everything is recorded permanently on the blockchain, it provides an immutable and mathematically provable evidence whenever criminal activity takes place on the blockchain, such as in the case of the illegal content reportedly posted in the Bitcoin SV chain.
Wright pointed out, “No blockchain will ever be crime friendly. That is the nature of the system. The audit trail allows the authorities to track one criminal to another. We saw this in action as Silk Road was taken down, then Silk Road 2.0 was taken down and then the corrupt FBI agent who stole bitcoin was caught and arrested. Bitcoin is Sunshine. It is the cure for the festering wound that is corruption, be that from Government or from criminal groups.”
To read Dr. Craig Wright’s entire post, Careful what you wish for, check out the Medium post here.
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