Jack Dorsey silent as new theory ties him to Satoshi Nakamoto

A new theory linking Jack Dorsey to Satoshi Nakamoto after financial news editor Seán Murray compiled a list of coincidences that he believes tie the Twitter co-founder to Bitcoin’s anonymous creator.

In a post on X, Murray presented dates, timestamps, and cryptographic clues, arguing that Dorsey is “probably” Satoshi. However, the evidence remains circumstantial, and many in the crypto space remain skeptical.

Murray pointed out that Bitcoin’s first-ever transaction occurred on Jan. 11, which happens to be Dorsey’s mother’s birthday, while the last block mined by Satoshi on March 5, 2010, coincides with his father’s birthday.

He also claimed that Satoshi registered on the Bitcoin forum on Nov. 19—Dorsey’s own birthday—and that the original Bitcoin source code documents are all timestamped at 4 a.m., a time Dorsey once featured on his Twitter profile.

Additionally, Murray highlighted a Bitcoin address created by Satoshi that begins with “jD2m”, suggesting it could stand for “Jack Dorsey 2 Mint”, referencing Dorsey’s former San Francisco residence at 2 Mint Plaza.

Murray also revisited the 2014 hack of Satoshi’s GMX email, where the attacker claimed to have found a link to St. Louis, Missouri—Dorsey’s hometown. He further pointed out that Satoshi accidentally logged into IRC (Internet Relay Chat) on Jan. 10, 2009, revealing an IP address located in California, where Twitter was headquartered at the time.

Another piece of the theory revolves around Satoshi’s warning against donating Bitcoin to WikiLeaks on Dec. 5, 2010. Nine days later, Twitter received a secret court order compelling it to share WikiLeaks-related data with U.S. authorities. Murray noted that Satoshi last logged into the Bitcoin forum on Dec. 13, just one day before Twitter was hit with the order.

Despite the mounting speculation, Dorsey didn’t comment on the claims, nor did he deny them. However, many in the crypto community aren’t convinced.

Critics argue that Dorsey’s past involvement in content moderation on Twitter contradicts Satoshi’s vision of uncensored money. Others doubt that Satoshi—known for extreme privacy—would wear a “Satoshi” shirt in public, as Dorsey did at Super Bowl 2024.

The Dorsey-Satoshi debate is just the latest in a long line of theories about Bitcoin’s creator. Over the years, names like Hal Finney, Adam Back, and Nick Szabo have all been floated as potential candidates.

Most recently, Coinbase director Conor Grogan claimed that he identified Bitcoin addresses linked to Satoshi Nakamoto, suggesting the Bitcoin creator remained active onchain until 2014.

Nakamoto’s last known public communication was in April 2011, when he emailed developer Mike Hearn, stating, “I’ve moved on to other things. It’s in good hands with Gavin and everyone.”

In October, a controversial HBO documentary, Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, alleged that Bitcoin Canadian developer Peter Todd invented Bitcoin, a claim Todd and many in the industry have dismissed as baseless.