An interesting thing is currently being discussed in the community. Could the real Satoshi Nakamoto finally be revealed? HBO released a new documentary in October, and now everyone is talking again about who actually invented Bitcoin.

One name keeps appearing in these discussions — Nick Szabo. An intriguing person, I must say. An American cryptographer, lawyer, and computer scientist who has been involved in the blockchain sector since the 1990s. This means Szabo was already involved long before Bitcoin was even created.

What’s interesting about him? As early as 1994, he coined the term "smart contracts" — aiming to bring legal certainty to the digital world through code. This later became the foundation of the entire blockchain industry. But even more interesting is what he did in 1998.

In 1998, Szabo proposed something he called "bit gold." It was a digital currency that didn’t require intermediaries and solved the double-spending problem using proof-of-work. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Because it’s essentially a predecessor to Bitcoin. Szabo himself described it like this: I’ve long been thinking that our money depends on trust in a third party. That’s not ideal, especially when we look at all the inflationary and hyperinflationary episodes of the 20th century.

And then it happened — in October 2008, exactly 10 years after Szabo proposed bit gold, Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper. Coincidence? Hard to say.

Speculation about who Satoshi is has existed almost as long as Bitcoin itself. But Nick Szabo is among the most likely candidates. According to the book "Bitcoin: The Future of Money?" by Dominic Frisby, Szabo and Nakamoto have remarkably similar writing styles. Both also referenced economist Carl Menger. Plus, Szabo is known for fiercely protecting his privacy, and Satoshi is said to do the same.

On Polymarket, people are now guessing who the real Satoshi is, and Nick Szabo is leading. His probability is already in the double digits, while other candidates remain in the single digits.

But how do I see it? Szabo definitely has the technical skills to be Satoshi. But interestingly, he has always denied being him. And that’s actually the best proof. If someone claims to be Satoshi, it’s almost certainly a false lead. Satoshi would never do that.