--- title: "Elon Musk Shares Galaxy-Brain Theory About Bitcoin Creator" description: "Has Elon Musk figured out the source of the \"Satoshi Nakamoto\" pseudonym given to Bitcoin's mysterious creator?" date: "2022-03-09" modified: "2022-03-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-satoshi-theory" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "bitcoin" - "elon musk" - "satoshi nakamoto" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Shares Galaxy-Brain Theory About Bitcoin Creator ![Has Elon Musk figured out the source of the "Satoshi Nakamoto" pseudonym given to Bitcoin's mysterious creator?]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Portman-d'oh Has Elon Musk stumbled on the source of the "Satoshi Nakamoto" pseudonym of Bitcoin's mysterious creator? A meme the trollish Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted in the middle of the night offers a Satoshi Nakamoto theory that's so galaxy-brained that, honestly, it just might be plausible. The commentary-free meme — which, naturally, [Musk did not make himself]() and appears to have [originated from a peculiar 2017 Medium post]() — points out that if you grab the first letters of the four major electronics giants Samsung, Toshiba, Nakamichi, and Motorola you end up with the name "Satoshi." In other words, the pseudonym may be nothing more than a convenient portmanteau for someone looking to quickly hide their identity. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1501449525831081987 ## Whodunnit Like the rest of the crypto-aware internet, the identity of the possibly-pseudonymous person or group of people who created Bitcoin seems to be something of a preoccupation for Musk. At the very end of 2021, [Musk floated the idea]() that Nick Szabo, the computer scientist who pioneered smart contracts back in the mid-2000s and laid the groundwork for digital currencies, is "probably" the creator of Bitcoin in an [interview with MIT researcher/podcaster Lex Fridman](). Szabo, to his credit, [denied in 2017]() that he's the real Satoshi. The mystery of the elusive Bitcoin creator's identity was also the subject of a court case in November 2021, when the family of the now-deceased David Kleinman [sued Australian programmer Craig Wright]() who's become infamous for claiming, almost certainly without merit, that *he's* the actual Satoshi. While we'll probably never know for sure, this stolen meme does make a plausible case that some tech person needed a pseudonym for their blockchain project and jammed together some letters from big electronics manufacturers. Musk may be a [dirty meme thief](), but in moments like this, you unfortunately do have to hand it to him. **More on Satoshi Nakamoto:** [*The Head of the CIA Says It’s Been Doing Mysterious Cryptocurrency Work*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()