It has been over 15 years since Satoshi Nakamoto disappeared from the digital map, and since then the crypto community has been endlessly speculating about who he could be. One of the most solid theories circulating is that Nick Szabo, the American cryptographer, could be the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. Let me tell you why so many suspect him.

First, you need to know who Nick Szabo is. We are talking about a serious scientist and cryptographer, respected in technical circles. He was born in 1964 in the United States, studied computer science at the University of Washington, and also holds a law degree from George Washington University. He is one of the key cypherpunks, those guys who have been exploring for years how cryptography can change privacy and society. Szabo is quite reserved about his personal life, but it is known that his interest in cryptography came from his father, who told him about government abuses. His father witnessed government crimes during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, including confiscation of property. That shaped Nick Szabo’s ideology.

Now, why do people believe Nick Szabo is Satoshi? The ideas of this cryptographer were fundamental to the development of the digital asset market. In 1998, he published the concept of Bit Gold, proposing a decentralized cryptocurrency using cryptographic principles. Sounds familiar, right? It’s basically what Bitcoin does. Then, Nick Szabo was also the one who coined the concept of smart contracts in 1994, which later became the foundation of Ethereum in 2015. In other words, Nick Szabo’s ideas are behind two of the world’s biggest crypto projects.

What’s interesting is that even ChatGPT and Elon Musk have pointed out that Nick Szabo could be Satoshi. Musk argues that Szabo’s ideas and developments align perfectly with Bitcoin’s ideology as an alternative financial system. There are certain technical details that fuel this theory. Nick Szabo’s writing style is very similar to that of Bitcoin’s whitepaper. Additionally, it was found that one of Satoshi’s wallets begins with 1NS, which corresponds to the initials of Nick Szabo. Considering Szabo’s cryptographic skills and his personal motivation (revenge for what his father suffered), which fits with Bitcoin’s anti-government ideology, the theory gains credibility.

But of course, there are counterarguments. Satoshi mentioned Bit Gold in the whitepaper but did not imply that Nick Szabo was the creator. Many believe Satoshi is Japanese, and Szabo has no Japanese roots. Also, Nakamoto had trouble answering legal questions about Bitcoin, which doesn’t fit with Nick Szabo’s legal background. And well, Szabo himself has categorically denied being Satoshi.

The reality is that despite all the evidence, there has never been an official confirmation. Some speculate it could be Dorian Nakamoto or Hal Finney. What’s clear is that Nick Szabo left a deep mark on Bitcoin’s architecture and blockchain technology in general. Although we may never know the truth about who Satoshi Nakamoto really is, what we do know is that Nick Szabo’s contributions were crucial for making all this possible.