Bitcoin: Satoshi Nakamoto Turns 50 — And We Still Don’t Know Who He Is

The mysterious creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, is celebrating his 50th birthday today, as his innovation revolutionizes global finance and now attracts major economic powers.

The creator of Bitcoin celebrates his 50th birthday today

Today, April 5, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin. According to information on his old profile from the P2P Foundation, Nakamoto was said to have been born on April 5, 1975, although this date may be more symbolic than factual.

This date was likely not chosen by chance. It corresponds precisely to the 42nd anniversary of the American presidential decree 6102, signed on April 5, 1933, which banned American citizens from owning gold to stabilize the dollar.

Despite fifteen years of research and speculation, Nakamoto’s identity remains the greatest mystery in the tech world. Many candidates have been proposed, from the cryptographer Adam Back to the developer Nick Szabo.

In March 2024, a British court definitively dismissed the claims of Craig Wright, calling his assertions that he is Satoshi “deliberately false.” An HBO documentary from October 2024 suggested that the Canadian developer Peter Todd might be Nakamoto, a claim he firmly denied.

What remains indisputable is the importance of this anonymity for the decentralized nature of Bitcoin. Without a central authority figure, Nakamoto’s invention has been able to grow as a truly distributed network, true to its original philosophy.

From experimentation to financial revolution

In fifteen years, Nakamoto’s creation has come an extraordinary way. From a niche experience within cypherpunk communities, Bitcoin has become an asset valued at over $1.6 trillion that is transforming the global financial landscape.

The adoption of Bitcoin as a strategic reserve by the U.S. government marks a historic turning point. Last month, President Donald Trump signed a decree establishing a strategic reserve of Bitcoin, officially integrating crypto into the financial system of the world’s leading power.

Meanwhile, Nakamoto’s treasure remains intact. The 1.1 million bitcoins linked to his addresses, dormant since early 2010, are now worth over $90 billion. This fortune would place Nakamoto among the 20 richest people in the world, surpassing even Bill Gates.

Nakamoto’s genius lies not only in the technical design of Bitcoin, but also in his decision to remain anonymous. By disappearing from the public scene in 2011, he allowed his creation to become truly decentralized, without an authority figure.

The message inscribed in Bitcoin’s Genesis block — referring to the bailout of banks by the British government in 2009 — remains a powerful symbol of his vision for an alternative monetary system, free from central authorities.

At 50, whether an individual or a group, the legacy of Satoshi Nakamoto now transcends his own identity. He has given rise not only to a technology, but to a movement that continues to transform our understanding of money and economic sovereignty.