Grin donation sparks wild goose chase for Satoshi Nakamoto

Litecoin founder Charlie Lee’s joke sets cryptocurrency news outlets on the trail of the Bitcoin creator, but to no avail.

By Robert Stevens

2 min read

Is the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, alleged creator of Bitcoin, confirmed? Is the cat out of the bag? The developer of privacy coin Grin received a donation of 50 Bitcoins on November 11, from a donor whom Grin developer Daniel Lehnberg said wished to remain anonymous. The donation prompted Litecoin founder Charlie Lee to quip that Satoshi himself (herself? Themselves?) had broken cover, sparking a rumor that ran all around town before being put to bed.

Lenhberg attributed the following to the anonymous donor: “Our motives are not economical! It’s about the technology and the protocol. Please put it to good use for the development of GRIN.”

“I don’t judge you on how to spend just want to make sure you can process it and distribute it as you need,” said the mystery donor. 

 

Grin and bear it

In a Telegram chat between Lee and Grin developer David Burkett, Lee noted that the coins were mined in January 2010, and concluded that “Satoshi donated to Grin.” 

Lee also noted that there were almost 9 years between transactions. 

Like a dog chasing after a rabbit, newshounds rushed to publish the story. 

“The creator of Litecoin, Charlie Lee, has recently dropped a bombshell regarding the identity of the mysterious father of cryptocurrency and the inventor of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto,” reads a lede from newslogical.com

“Litecoin Founder: Satoshi Nakamoto Is The Mysterious Man Who Donated 50 BTC To Grin Team,” reads a headline on CoinNess.com

But, alas, the outlets had gotten carried away: “That was just a joke,” tweeted Lee. The identity of Nakomoto remains a mystery. But what if?

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