A new documentary, "Finding Satoshi," released Wednesday, posits that Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, was not an individual but a pseudonym used by two deceased cryptographers: Hal Finney and Len Sassaman.
The film's directors, Tucker Tooley and Matthew Miele, detail a four-year investigation led by writer William D. Cohan and investigator Tyler Maroney. Their findings suggest Finney and Sassaman collaborated to create Bitcoin.
The documentary includes interviews with the widows of both cryptographers. Fran Finney suggests her husband likely contributed to Bitcoin's creation, while Meredith L. Patterson assesses her husband's potential involvement.
The investigation reportedly ruled out other potential candidates like Adam Back and Nick Szabo. It theorizes Finney developed Bitcoin's code, while Sassaman authored its foundational white paper and handled written communications.
Investigators consulted former FBI agent Kathleen Puckett, who helped investigate the Unabomber, to analyze the white paper's motivations. Data scientist Alyssa Blackburn also provided analysis comparing suspects' online histories to Satoshi's, reportedly aligning Finney and Sassaman with the profile.
A detail noted by Jameson Lopp, CTO of Casa, suggests Satoshi communicated with a developer simultaneously while Finney, an avid runner, was in a race. This point, the film suggests, supports the theory of a two-person operation where Finney coded and Sassaman managed written aspects.
The directors also mentioned a 90-minute interview with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, conducted in 2021, which did not make the final cut.