Peter Todd jokes about Satoshi statue, criticizes Cullen Hoback’s documentary

A recent unveiling of a Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland, has sparked a lighthearted reaction from Canadian Bitcoin developer Peter Todd, who also responded to a controversial HBO documentary by filmmaker Cullen Hoback. 

The statue, which captures the Bitcoin founder in the form of a hooded figure working on a laptop, was used by Todd in a humourous manner to ridicule by juxtaposing images of the statue with a similar photo of the filmmaker.

Today at the @LuganoPlanB conference, they unveiled the new statue of Satoshi.

I think they inadvertently revealed who Satoshi is.

CC: @CullenHoback pic.twitter.com/bXDqTq40L3

— Peter Todd (@peterktodd) October 25, 2024

Hoback’s HBO documentary, which was released earlier this month, has been met with much backlash from both Todd and the rest of the cryptocurrency community. The film shows Todd as the likely person who created Bitcoin. 

In the last part of the film, Todd comes out with the following remarks, “Well yeah, I’m Satoshi Nakamoto.” Todd then said that this statement was misquoted and that he is not the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. 

 Hoback’s arguments comprised a BitcoinTalk forum post and a connection to the John Dillon persona, both of which are highly discussed topics in the Bitcoin community that did not reveal anything new about Satoshi.

The way the documentary connects Todd to Nakamoto has caused controversy, and some people within the community think that Hoback’s conclusions are rather unsubstantiated. Todd has also personally dismissed the theory and has made a statement in public, joking that perhaps Hoback is more similar to the statue than anyone else.

As pointed out by Todd and others, the film did not present much factual evidence to prove the allegations made in the film and instead relied on assumptions. In order to support this claim, Todd shared with Wired.com photographs that depicted him engaging in outdoor activities during the time when Nakamoto was posting on BitcoinTalk. However, Hoback remains adamant in his decision and says that Todd is a “game theory” expert who resembles the typical image of the Bitcoin creator. 

Satoshi Nakamoto’s legacy remains unresolved

The true legitimacy of the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, is one of the most untold stories in the digital world. Over the years after the launch of Bitcoin in 2008, many theories have appeared about who Nakamoto is and many names have been mentioned. 

The humorous reaction of Todd to the Satoshi statue along with the image of Hoback is quite symbolic of the speculations that are still associated with the creation of Bitcoin. With no clear resolution in the foreseeable future, the crypto community seems happy to let Nakamoto remain an enigma.