Polymarket bettors favor Len Sassaman in HBO’s potential Satoshi Nakamoto reveal News ▸ Polymarket ▸ Bitcoin ▸ Crypto
Polymarket bettors favor Len Sassaman in HBO’s potential Satoshi Nakamoto reveal
The betting pool, which has attracted more than $600,000 as of Oct. 4, focuses on Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, a documentary set to air next week.
2 min read
Updated: Nov. 13, 2024 at 11:18 pm UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
Bettors on Polymarket, a decentralized prediction platform, have placed Len Sassaman as the leading candidate for HBO’s upcoming reveal of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, with a significant margin of 55%.
The betting pool, which has attracted more than $500,000 as of Oct. 4, focuses on Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, a documentary set to air next week.
Directed by Cullen Hoback, the documentary has fueled speculation that it will identify Nakamoto, although neither HBO nor Hoback has directly confirmed this. However, the trailers and promotional material, as well as a Politico report, have hinted at a possible revelation.
Len Sassaman
Sassaman was a developer who worked on PGP encryption and remailer technology, contributing to privacy and cryptography advancements. He collaborated with key figures like David Chaum and Hal Finney, whose work influenced Bitcoin.
Furthermore, his involvement in the Cypherpunk movement and advocacy for privacy-enhancing technologies align closely with Bitcoin’s foundational principles, making him a strong candidate. The Bitcoin blockchain also includes a tribute to Sassaman, adding weight to his connection with the flagship crypto’s origins.
Sassaman tragically died in 2011 after battling depression and neurological disorders. His death coincided with the disappearance of Satoshi, prompting speculation about a possible connection.
Other candidates
Other notable figures, such as Finney and Blockstream CEO Adam Back, trail behind Sassaman in the betting pool with roughly 10% of the votes, while Nick Szabo and Paul Le Roux round out the top five with 7.5% and 4.7% of the votes.
Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, also remains in the top five with less than 1% of the vote despite ongoing legal challenges to his assertion.
Notably, no substantial evidence has ever been made public to confirm the myriad speculation about Satoshi’s real identity. Many of his earliest collaborators have denied knowing who he is, while countless theories have been debunked.
In fact, it is still unclear whether Satoshi Nakamoto was an individual or a group of people, making the Bitcoin creator’s identity the greatest mystery of our internet age amid its meteoric rise.
Polymarket bettors will win if HBO names Sassaman as the primary individual behind Bitcoin’s creation. If the documentary suggests shared responsibility or another person entirely, the market will not resolve in Sassaman’s favor.
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Author 
Assad Jafri
AJ, a passionate journalist since Yemen's 2011 Arab Spring, has honed his skills worldwide for over a decade. Specializing in financial journalism, he now focuses on crypto reporting.
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In this article
Bitcoin, a decentralized currency that defies the sway of central banks or administrators, transacts electronically, circumventing intermediaries via a peer-to-peer network.
Blockstream
Blockstream is a provider of blockchain technologies, on the forefront of work in cryptography and distributed systems.
Polymarket
Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market platform that enables users to bet on world events using cryptocurrency.
Hal Finney was a software engineer and an early member of the Cypherpunks.
Adam Back currently holds the position of CEO at Blockstream, a cutting-edge technology company dedicated to advancing bitcoin and blockchain technology.
Craig Steven Wright, commonly referred to as CSW, is an Australian computer scientist and business professional who has been at the center of controversy within the cryptocurrency community.
Nicholas Szabo, a prominent figure in computer science and cryptography, is renowned for his extensive work in digital contracts and digital currency.