Bitcoin's Founder Satoshi Nakamoto's Legacy Marks 50th Birthday

April 5, 2025, marks what would be the 50th birthday of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. This alleged birthday is based on the date listed in his P2P Foundation profile. Nakamoto’s true identity remains unconfirmed, but his legacy continues to shape the digital financial landscape.

Nakamoto listed April 5, 1975, as his birthday—exactly 42 years after the US government banned private gold ownership under Executive Order 6102 on April 5, 1933, to stabilize the dollar. Bitcoin, by contrast, was designed to be a decentralized, deflationary alternative to fiat currency. Notably, the Bitcoin difficulty adjustment happens every 2016 blocks, which is 6102 in reverse.

Satoshi’s wallet, believed to hold 1.096 million BTC, has remained untouched since early 2010. Over the past decade, its value has risen more than 333-fold, now exceeding $91 billion. Despite the wallet’s inactivity, CoinJoin transactions are regularly sent to its address. Some view this as an act of homage or a method of obfuscation.

In March 2024, a UK court ruled that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not Satoshi, calling his claims “deliberately false.” An October 2024 documentary controversially pointed to Canadian developer Peter Todd, who strongly denied any connection. More recently, internet theories have speculated on Jack Dorsey’s possible ties, though no evidence supports the claim. Nakamoto’s identity remains the internet’s most persistent mystery.

Embedded in Bitcoin’s first block is the headline: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” The line is from a UK newspaper. It is seen as a critique of centralized monetary policy and remains one of Nakamoto’s only public statements beyond technical documentation.

Fifteen years after its launch, Bitcoin remains secure and deflationary by design. Nakamoto’s codebase, while modified and improved by the open-source community, still forms the foundation of the network, securing over $1.6 trillion in value.