Satoshi Nakamoto and the Origins of Bitcoin -- Narratio in Nomine, Datis et Numeris

Abstract

The mystery about the ingenious creator of Bitcoin concealing behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto has been fascinating the global public for more than a decade. Suddenly jumping out of the dark in 2008, this persona hurled the highly disruptive distributed ledger technology "blockchain" that has added the missing native value layer to the internet. Purposely agnostic without advocating any old or fielding new names, this paper first identifies the degrees of freedom Satoshi Nakamoto had available in the design of Bitcoin, and in fabricating snippets of personal data. By interweaving the substantial collection of previous and new circumstantial with direct evidence, like relevant locations and happenings in history and at the time, a consistent skeleton of Satoshi Nakamoto's biography transpires. The results underpin that the iconic creator of Bitcoin most likely encoded bits of information in his self-chosen alias, dates and blockchain parameters, which particularly point to the numbers 21 and 42, and the numeral systems used in Bitcoin's framework. Moreover, a psychogram of a reclusive and capricious genius is drawn, which sheds new light on Satoshi Nakamoto's background, mindset, pastimes, and penchant for puns; this study may also explain the motivation of his abrupt departure from the public, his continuing abstinence from engaging with the Bitcoin community, and from reaping the fruits of his mindboggling wealth. From a history of technology perspective, such an altruistic sacrifice for the benefit of his brainchild is entirely unprecedented.