Author: Alex Thorn, CoinDesk; Translation: Deng Tong, Golden Finance

HBO documentary claims to have unlocked the mystery of Bitcoin's founder Satoshi Nakamoto. But is this really important?

For years, journalists, bloggers, and filmmakers have been trying to uncover the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. The latest attempt comes from HBO's 'Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery' (scheduled to air at 9 pm on October 8th Eastern Time). So far, no one has successfully found Satoshi Nakamoto. However, the adoption of Bitcoin worldwide continues to grow. The creator of Bitcoin has made every effort to hide their identity, always in order to strengthen its decentralized spirit.

The mysterious origin of Bitcoin is a fundamental part of its charm and value. The idea that an anonymous developer can create a revolutionary form of currency without any centralized control has deeply resonated with a generation. Over the past 20 years, financial crises, widespread distrust of governments, and a desire for greater economic autonomy have shaped this generation.

Money is a major factor constantly speculated around the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. It is estimated that Satoshi Nakamoto holds as much as 1 million Bitcoins, currently valued at about $63 billion. Any signs of these Bitcoins being cashed out would undoubtedly scare investors and lead to a drastic drop in the price of Bitcoin.

But Satoshi Nakamoto deliberately remained anonymous from the beginning. His intention has always been to address the fact that 'the fundamental problem with traditional currencies is all the trust required to make it work,' as he stated in 2009. By staying anonymous, Satoshi Nakamoto eliminates any personal biases or centralized control, ensuring that Bitcoin can develop organically as a community. Currently, only cryptographic proof can verify Satoshi Nakamoto's identity.

Satoshi Nakamoto rarely shared personal information, but here's what we know. We know that he authored the Bitcoin white paper and distributed it to the cryptography mailing list on October 31, 2008. We know that he uploaded early source code to SourceForge. We know that he registered bitcoin.org. We know that he mined the first block (the 'Genesis Block'). We know that he posted on the BitcoinTalk forum under the identity of 'satoshi'. We know that in 2011, in his last known communication, Satoshi Nakamoto stated that he had turned to other things, leaving the future of Bitcoin to the world.

Researchers estimate that Satoshi Nakamoto owns between 0.8 million and 1 million bitcoins, but it is difficult to determine as Satoshi Nakamoto wishes to remain anonymous. These coins are spread across thousands of wallets, and only a few transactions and blocks have been identified as sent or mined by Satoshi Nakamoto. Sergio Lerner's famous Patoshi pattern is widely believed to be the best theory to reveal which coins were self-mined by Satoshi Nakamoto himself.

To definitively prove his identity, Satoshi Nakamoto would need to sign a message with a key known to belong to him, or move coins known to be his onto the chain. Anything less would fall far short. This will not happen on Tuesday night. This documentary will not unravel this mystery. Nor should it! Satoshi Nakamoto's anonymity is one of the most critical features of Bitcoin's origin and a key differentiator between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

More importantly, those intending to expose Satoshi Nakamoto's identity should consider the destructive consequences of doxxing. Lives of those wrongly identified have been ruined—whether it is Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto who suffered media storm, or the family of Hal Finney who faced the aftermath of reckless speculation.

If someone truly respects Satoshi Nakamoto's legacy, they would protect what he valued most: anonymity.