In December 2024, I met with professional investigator Tyler Maroney who claimed to have finally solved the mystery of Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. His documentary, Finding Satoshi, concludes that Satoshi is a collaboration between Hal Finney and Len Sassaman. Meanwhile, investigative journalist John Carreyrou, in his own article for The New York Times, points his finger at British cryptographer Adam Back.

The hubris of these quests is palpable. To truly prove who Satoshi is, you'd need the unique cryptographic key to their wallet holding 1.1 million bitcoins. No one has managed that feat yet, leaving us with compelling but circumstantial evidence instead.

These investigations are like a crypto-journalistic version of Clue: each piece eliminates suspects until only one remains. But unlike the board game, where the murderer is confirmed by revealing a card, in real life, we're left with reasonable guesses and no definitive answer. The best anyone can do is create a compelling narrative.

Ultimately, both Carreyrou’s investigation and Maroney’s documentary are more about storytelling than hard evidence. They paint vivid portraits of their suspects but leave us questioning who, if anyone, will uncover the truth behind Bitcoin's mysterious creator.