Adam Back has reiterated that he is not the popular creator of Bitcoin (BTC), also known as Satoshi Nakamoto, after a recent New York Times report concluded otherwise.
On April 8, Back, the co-founder and CEO of Bitcoin-focused company Blockstream, downplayed claims that he is the pseudonymous developer of the flagship coin. He argued that most people mistake him for Nakamoto because he has been actively involved in cryptography, online privacy, and electronic cash since 1992.
Back highlighted that his professional skills and experience helped shape BTC’s development. Moreover, Nakamoto drew on the ideas of ecash discussed over the years by various people to implement the Bitcoin blockchain.
“I also don’t know who Satoshi is, and I think it is good for Bitcoin that this is the case, as it helps Bitcoin be viewed as a new asset class, the mathematically scarce digital commodity,” Back concluded.
As such, Back insisted that ‘we are all Satoshi’ to imply that Bitcoin is highly decentralized and not owned by a single individual. Nonetheless, he stated that Satoshi’s true identity could potentially be revealed through an inheritance event concerning the roughly 1.1 million BTC associated with Nakamoto’s dormant wallets.
Why is Back viewed as Satoshi Nakamoto in 2026?
Although Back has rejected any connection to being the original Bitcoin inventor, John Carreyrou, a reporter at The New York Times, has suggested otherwise, citing perceived similarities between the Bitcoin Whitepaper’s linguistic profile and Back’s dual national identity, which includes both British and American English.
Additionally, Carreyrou noted that Back has played a significant role in the development of the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, based on his career over the past 16 years. Furthermore, Back has supported BTC through Blockstream’s projects, which have made it easier to use and adopt the Bitcoin network.
“It all seemed consistent with what Satoshi might do if he decided to reappear under the cover of his real name and take back the reins of his creation,” Carreyrou noted.
Carreyrou stated that Back has, over the years, proposed complicated system improvements for the Bitcoin network. Most notably, Carreyrou cited that Back demanded that Wikipedia restore the stand-alone Satoshi Nakamoto page, which had been deleted and merged into the BTC page.
