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episode 35 analyzes a theory
suggesting Jack Dorsey is Satoshi Nakamoto
the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin
it explores coincidences Dorsey's background
and his subtle references to cryptocurrency
as possible evidence
counter arguments include
the lack of cryptographic proof
and differences in writing style
ultimately the article deems the theory interesting
but unproven without verifiable evidence
okay get this
we're diving into
a theory that's been making waves online
is Jack Dorsey the guy behind Twitter and square
actually the mysterious creator of Bitcoin
Satoshi Nakamoto
it's a theory that captures the imagination for sure
we've got this Crypto Daily article
that breaks down a bunch of arguments
on both sides
the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto is one of the biggest
unsolved puzzles in the tech world right
and the idea that it could be somewhat
as well known as Jack Dorsey
is incredibly intriguing
this article lays out some pretty wild coincidences
oh yeah like
did you know that bitcoin.org was registered
just one day after Jack posted this hmm
kind of cryptic sailor phrase online
interesting some
people are even connecting that to sailing references
found in the original Bitcoin code
it's definitely a curious timing coincidence right
though to be fair
thousands of douyins are registered every single day
right but in the context of this theory
it's certainly interesting
yeah remember
we're talking about August 2008
right before the Bitcoin white paper dropped right
this was Satoshi laying the groundwork
for what would become a revolutionary technology
so maybe it's not just a coincidence
but there's more oh
the first ever
bitcoin transaction happened on Jack's mom's birthday
right and Satoshi joined the Bitcoin forum on
wait for it Jack's birthday
no way is this fate
or just a really weird string of coincidences
well statistically speaking
birthdays falling on significant dates
aren't that uncommon sure
when you consider how many dates
and individuals are involved in the Bitcoin timeline
right
but for those who believe in the Jacka Satoshi theory
right
these coincidences are seen as compelling evidence
I can see how it would add fuel to the fire
yeah and then you add in the fact that Satoshi
mind his last known block
on Jack Dorsey's father's birthday
huh it does make you wonder
it certainly thought provoking
yeah but before we get too carried away
let's take a step back and consider the broader context
okay to really assess the plausibility of this theory
right
we need to look beyond just these timeline overlaps
okay good point
okay so where should we start
well let's delve into Jack Dorsey's background okay
the article highlights his
early involvement with cryptography
in open source systems okay
he was a registered cypher punk back in 1996
which is significant because
hold on sypherpunk
for those of us who aren't quite as tech savvy
can you break down what that means
absolutely
the sypherpunk movement was a group of individuals
who believed in using cryptography
to enhance privacy and individual liberty okay
they saw the potential of this technology
to empower individuals
and challenge traditional power structures
and these are ideas that are deeply embedded
in the philosophy behind Bitcoin
so Jack was part of this movement
even before Bitcoin was a thing
yes and in fact
only around 13 people were registered
cypherpunks back in 1996 wow
so it's a relatively small and tight knit community
right and this is where
the theory starts to gain some traction
because it places Jack within a group of individuals
who were actively exploring the very concepts
that would later underpin Bitcoin
that's fascinating
it's like he was in the right place at the right times
surrounded by people who were thinking
along the same line exactly
yeah and this is further supported by another detail
mentioned in the article a picture of Jack in college
sporting a T-shirt featuring Adam Back
Adam Back as refresh my memory
who's that again Adam Back
is a prominent cryptographer who created hash cash okay
a system designed to prevent email spam right
and guess what right
hash cash
is directly referenced in the Bitcoin white paper
wow that's a pretty significant connection
yeah it's almost like
Jack was signaling his interest in these ideas
even back then what
whether was intentional or not
you're right
it does show that Jack was familiar with the work
of someone whose ideas
directly influenced the creation of Bitcoin right
it adds another layer of intrigue
to his potential connection to Satoshi
okay
I'm starting to see how this theory is coming together
yeah
but wouldn't someone with Jack's technical background
and cypherpunk connections
have been more vocal about Bitcoin
in the early days the article mentions that
he didn't really start
publicly promoting it until 2012
that's a point often raised by skeptics
yeah if Jack were truly Satoshi
wouldn't he have been shouting from the rooftops
about bitcoin from the get go
yeah especially given his interest in fintech
it's a good question the timeline does seem a bit off
right it does yeah
however proponents of the jackassitoshi theory
argue that there might be other explanations
for his initial silence okay
remember
Satoshi themselves disappeared from the scene in 2010
right leaving many to wonder
why the creator of such a groundbreaking technology
would choose to step back
hmm that's true yeah
so maybe Jack was intentionally keeping a low profile
even if he was involved in Bitcoin's creation
it's certainly a possibility
okay and there were some intriguing events that
occurred around Satoshi's disappearance
that add another layer of complexity to this theory
okay now you've got me hooked
what kind of events well
let's talk about what was happening in 2010 okay
the year Satoshi vanished
at that time
Jack was deeply involved in building square okay
as mobile payments company right
and interestingly around the same time
Satoshi claimed to be too busy with Bitcoin
to continue working on it
oh interesting
are you suggesting that Jack might have used
square as a cover story
while secretly working on Bitcoin as Satoshi
that's kind of a wild thought
it's a possibility that some proponents of the theory
have put forward okay
however
we need to be cautious about jumping to conclusions
based on circumstantial evidence
okay there's a lot more to unpack here
okay I'm ready to unpack it
all right let's hear
what else happened in 2010
that might shed some light on this
well there's a particular incident involving wiki leaks
that some people believe
could be connected to Satoshi's disappearance okay
it's a bit of a tangled web
but it might provide some clues
all right let's unravel this Wikileaks connection okay
hit me with the details in December 2,010
Wikileaks was making headlines for releasing classified
US government documents
and there was a lot of controversies surrounding
the organization
Satoshi posted a message on the Bitcoin forum
discouraging donations to Wikileaks
so
Satoshi was aware of what was happening with Wikileaks
yes and just a few days after that post
Twitter was hit with a secret court order
demanding data on Wikileaks users
oh wow
then on December 13th
Satoshi vanished from the Bitcoin community
wait a minute yeah
are you suggesting that Jack
as the head of Twitter
might have been pressured to silence Satoshi
to avoid further legal scrutiny
cause that's that's a pretty explosive claim
it's a theory that's been circulating
yeah and it does raise some intriguing questions yeah
did Jack
as a supporter of Wikileaks and potentially Satoshi
find himself caught in a difficult position right
could he have been forced to choose between
protecting Twitter and maintaining his secret identity
it's like a real life superhero origin story
but wouldn't that mean there
was some kind of communication
or connection between Jack and the US government
we're venturing into the realm of speculation here
and there's no
concrete evidence to support any direct link
between Jack Dorsey
Satoshi
and the US government's actions against Wikileaks right
however
the timing of these events is certainly noteworthy
it's definitely a lot to think about yeah
okay so we've got the timeline coincidences
Jack's background in cryptography
okay his possible connection to Adam back
now this Wikileaks situation right
is there anything else in the article that supports
the jackassitoshi theory
there's one more detail that's worth exploring okay
something called the one Jack wallet
okay in 2020
when Craig Wright was making headlines
claiming to be Satoshi right
a number of early bitcoin wallets signed messages
refuting his claims wait
back up a sec yeah
I vaguely remember that whole krigg
right saga yeah
didn't he try to prove he was Satoshi but then fail
miserably that's right yeah
his claims were widely disputed
and ultimately
dismissed by the cryptocurrency community okay
but in response to Wright's claims right
some early adopters of Bitcoin
who held wallets from the very beginning
sign messages cryptographically
proving they were the original owners of those wallets
okay
so how does the one Jack wallet fit into all of this
one of those wallets
that signed a message against Wright
started with the address one Jack oh okay
now remember yeah
these are very early bitcoin wallets
created back when the network was still in its infancy
so are you saying that this one Jack wallet
could have belonged to Jack Dorsey
because that would be pretty huge
it's a possibility that his fueled speculation right
of course one Jack could just be a random coincidence
but given all the other circumstantial evidence
yeah it's a detail
that proponents of the theory find compelling
I can see why it's like
finding a tiny piece of a puzzle that seems to fit
perfectly right
even though you're still missing most of the picture
right
but even with all these coincidences and connections
we're still dealing with speculation right
there's no definitive proof that Jack is Satoshi
that's the key point yeah
while this theory is intriguing
and certainly fun to explore
it's crucial to remember
that we're dealing with circumstantial evidence okay
without concrete irrefutable proof
such as Jax
signing a message from an early Bitcoin wallet
known to belong to Satoshi yeah
the mystery remains unsolved
so in the world of crypto conspiracy theories
we're still in the plausible but unproven category
exactly okay
and there are some counter arguments that we need to
address okay
one of the most significant challenges to the Jaka
Satoshi theory right
is the difference in writing style between Satoshi
and Jack oh yeah
I remember reading something about that yeah
didn't Satoshi write more formally
like someone from the UK that's right yeah
Satoshi's writing was very formal
precise and consistently use British English spellings
okay well
Jack Dorsey's writing style is much more casual
and distinctly American hmm
that's a pretty big discrepancy yeah
is there any way to explain that away
if Jack is indeed Satoshi
some have suggested that Satoshi
might have deliberately adopted a formal writing style
and British English spellings
to obscure their true identity hmm
however that's just conjecture right
and it doesn't fully account for
the consistent differences in tone
and voice between Satoshi's writing
and Jack Dorsey's public communications okay
so the writing style issue
definitely throws a ranch into the theory yeah
are there any other arguments against
Jack being Satoshi
another point of contention is
the question to motivation okay
why would someone like Jack Dorsey
who already had a successful career in tac right
create Bitcoin and then choose to remain anonymous
yeah that's a good question yeah
if it was about fame or fortune right
wouldn't he have eventually stepped
forward and taken credit
for creating something as revolutionary as Bitcoin
it's a puzzle that has baffled many people yeah
some argue that Satoshi's anonymity was essential
to ensure the decentralization of Bitcoin
by remaining unknown
they prevented any single individual
from having undue influence or control
over the cryptocurrency
that's an interesting perspective yes
it's like
they wanted to create something bigger than themselves
something that could exist and thrive
independently of any one person
precisely right
and this ties into the Cipherpunk philosophy
we discussed earlier right
the belief in individual empowerment
and the decentralization of power okay
from that perspective right
Satoshi's anonymity could be seen as a deliberate
act of empowering the community
rather than seeking personal recognition
it's kind of a radical concept
isn't it creating something groundbreaking
and then stepping back to let it evolve on its own
it is but if Jack is Satoshi
wouldn't he have been tempted to step in at some point
and guide Bitcoin's development
especially given his influence in resources
that's a fair point yeah
however it's also possible that Jack
if he is indeed Satoshi believed that true
decentralization required a hands off approach okay
by remaining anonymous
and resisting the urge to intervene
he could ensure that Bitcoin remained a
truly community driven project
I can see how that aligns with the whole Cipher Punk
ethos white
so are we saying that even if Jack is Satoshi
he might have deliberately chosen to stay silent
to protect
the integrity of Bitcoin's decentralized nature
it's certainly a possibility that we need to consider
okay and it raises a fascinating philosophical question
does the identity of the creator ultimately matter
if the creation itself
is fulfilling its intended purpose
whoa now we're getting deep
that's a definitely something to ponder
yeah
but before we get too lost in the philosophical weeds
there's one more elephant in the room that we need to
address okay
what about the money
Satoshi mined a ton of bitcoin in the early days right
yeah
like a million bitcoins or something crazy like that
that's right if Jack is Satoshi
he'd be sitting on a fortune
The Satoshi Stash as it's called
is estimated to be around 1 million bitcoins
wow and if you look at the current price of bitcoin
well that would make Satoshi
one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet
okay so has anyone tried to track those bitcoins
see if they've moved at all
blockchain analysis firms
and researchers have been closely monitoring those
early bitcoin addresses okay
looking for any signs of movement right
but so far the Satoshi stash has remained untouched
really they haven't spent a single bitcoin nope
I mean I get it
if I were sitting on a mountain of bitcoin
I might wanna lie low too
yeah but
it's still kinda wild
to think that someone could have that much wealth
and just
not touch it
it certainly adds another layer of intrigue
to the whole Satoshi Nakamoto mystery right
does it point to an extraordinary long term vision
hmm or perhaps
it suggests that
financial gain was never the primary motive behind
bitcoin's creation
maybe Satoshi's playing the long game
hmm waiting for the perfect moment to make a move
could be or maybe they're just content
knowing they created something that changed the world
regardless of the financial rewards
it's all speculation at this point
but one thing is for sure
the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto
continues to captivate and inspire
fueling endless debate and intrigue
so after diving deep into this theory
where do we land is Jack Dorsey
the Bitcoin mastermind hiding in plain sight
or are we just caught up in a web of really wild
coincidences what do you think
we've examined the evidence
weighed the arguments for and against
and even explored some of the broader
implications of this mystery right
ultimately
it's up to each individual to decide what they believe
that's a good point yeah
it's like we've laid out all the pieces of the puzzle
but we might never have the complete picture
exactly right and maybe that's part of the allure
yep the search
for Satoshi Nakamoto is a journey of discovery right
and even if we never
definitively uncover their identity hmm
the exploration itself can be incredibly rewarding
I like that yeah
it's not always about finding the answer
but about the process of seeking knowledge
and understanding so for our listeners out there
we leave you with this
what if
the search for Satoshi is less about finding a person
and more about understanding the power of ideas
what if the real treasure
isn't the million bitcoin stash yeah
but the potential for
decentral technologies to change the world
it's a question worth pondering right
keep an open mind yeah
stay curious hmm
and maybe do some digging of your own okay
you might be surprised by what you uncover
until next time happy hunting