Thirteen years ago a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto released a paper describing a new software system called bitcoin. Today bitcoin is worth more than $1 trillion and has sparked a phenomenon that, its proponents believe, might rewire the entire global financial network.
There is a mystery at the heart of bitcoin, however. Who actually is Satoshi Nakamoto?
The Short Public Life of Satoshi Nakamoto
On Oct. 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto sent a nine-page paper to a group of cryptographers outlining a new form of “electronic cash” called bitcoin.