- Peter Todd said he didn’t realize the HBO documentary was trying to unveil the identity of Bitcoin’s creator, but rather go into the history of the crypto asset
- Cullen Hoback, director of the documentary, claims that Todd is blowing things out of proportion saying his life is in danger after being named Nakamoto
Peter Todd, a Bitcoin core developer, has gone into hiding over fears for his safety after an HBO documentary named him Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Aired earlier this month and directed by Cullen Hoback, the “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” examined Bitcoin’s early days and some of its key figures, one of which was Todd. Another was Blockstream founder Adam Back.
During the documentary’s finale, when confronted with a question from Hoback, Todd said: “Yeah, I’m Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Ahead of the documentary’s release, Todd denied he was Satoshi. Following the documentary’s release, Todd took to social media again to deny he was Satoshi after someone called him out, writing, “I’m not Satoshi.”
No one should help to find Satoshi
In an interview with Wired, Todd indicated that he’s gone into hiding following the documentary over fears for his safety.
Harassment Todd’s faced includes receiving 25 emails over two days for someone asking him to help repay a loan.
In an email to the publication, Todd said:
“Obviously, falsely claiming that ordinary people of ordinary wealth are extraordinarily rich exposes them to threats like robbery and kidnapping.”
According to Todd, he didn’t realize the documentary was trying to uncover the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, but rather document the crypto asset’s history.
Todd added: “Not only is the question dumb, it’s dangerous. Satoshi obviously didn’t want to be found, for good reasons, and no one should help people trying to find Satoshi.”
In Hoback’s view, Todd is blowing things out of proportion and that nothing terrible has happened to other people who were believed to be Satoshi.
According to Hoback, unveiling the identity of Satoshi is a matter of public interest and “pretty important” because that person is “potentially on track to become the wealthiest on Earth.”
Hoback’s reasoning behind Todd being Bitcoin’s creator lies in a 2010 web forum post in which Todd responded to one of Satoshi’s posts. According to Hoback, Todd’s post is a continuation of Satoshi’s that was mistakenly sent from Todd’s account rather than Satoshi’s.