Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?

In Ayn Rand's classic novel, Atlas Shrugged, there was a great man; an inventor, an entrepreneur, a businessman, a man who made things happen, and who could even "stop the motor of the world."  That last phrase was both literal and figurative.  First, he did invent something so revolutionary it would have changed the whole world - a new type of motor.  But, also, throughout the story, he worked to convince the productive, independent people of the country to withdraw, and to stop feeding the beast of government and all the ills it had created. In Atlas Shrugged, this man was was named John Galt.  Galt had become a legend and then vanished from society.  His disappearance was so mysterious, and his story so intriguing that it had people asking, "Who is John Galt?" That question became so unanswerable, that years later "Who is John Galt?" became a common phrase in society.  It sort of came to mean, "I don't know; there's no way of knowing."

Today, in the real world, since 2009 people have been asking, "Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?" It doesn't have the same meaning, but it has the same importance. Like John Galt, Nakamoto created a revolutionary invention that will change the world. That invention is, of course, bitcoin and blockchain technology. He released the program in 2009, along with his legendary white paper on the subject. He also apparently withdrew from society, and his real identity has been a secret ever since.  Galt's method of "stopping the motor of the world" was to help productive people escape statism and live free lives for themselves. This did not cause the collapse of society but it did hasten it.  In Atlas Shrugged, governments, along with their dependents and sycophants were already causing their own downfall without Galt's prodding.  But, he helped it along.

Nakamoto's method is, even more, powerful. It is a direct threat to all the bad in the world. Blockchain technology has the potential to wreck the institutions of central banking, corrupt elections, inflation, war, and even governments themselves.  It is an amazing thing.

I have been following bitcoin for three and a half years, but, it wasn't until today when I was reading the latest news on the search for the real Satoshi Nakamoto that I put 2 and 2 together. I never thought about it too much, because I thought we would never find out who he really is.  This guy really is a legend. Whoever he is, he is as big to our real world, as John Galt was to the world of Atlas Shrugged.

Which leads us to today's news; that some journalists have supposedly figured out who the real Nakamoto is.  According to an investigation by Wired magazine, there are two people behind the Nakamoto identity, Craig Steven Wright, and his now deceased friend, Dave Kleiman. Craig Wright puts a face and a persona to the myth and legend of Nakamoto.  He acts, lives, and talks like a real life John Galt. Wright is a businessman, well spoken, independent, an entrepreneur, a thinker of big ideas, and a game changer for the world.  It wasn't until right then, reading that article, that I realized whoever Nakamoto is, Wright, or someone else, this is who we were reading about in Atlas Shrugged.  He isn't just the creator of some new fad.  It is a thing that will forever change all of society, whether people now realize it or not. He is working to do great things for the sake of doing great things, and will in the process better the lives of billions of people.

Here is a fantastic quote from Wright, spoken like a boss:

"I will make a solution to problems you have not even thought of and I will do it without YOUR or any state’s permission! I will create things that make your ideas fail as I will not refuse to stop producing. I will not live off or accept welfare and I will not offer you violence. You will have to use violence against me to make me stop, however." - Craig Steven Wright

Finally, I am sorry for this man, especially if he really is the man behind Nakamoto.  I would have rather not ever known, and just let the origin of bitcoin be a mystery.  He is about to endure an unimaginable amount of attention, praise, criticism, and possibly even the threat of violence by the corrupt powers that be, who would love to see bitcoin erased from history.  So, I say, Craig Wright, if you are the creator of bitcoin, thank you, and be safe.

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Update: As I was just finishing up this article, I came across an article just published by the Guardian.  It says Wright's home was raided just today by Australian police.  The article says "Guardian Australia understands the raids are not related to the claims that Wright may have been involved in the creation of bitcoin, but are related to an Australian Tax Office investigation." I say bullshit. Again, stay safe Mr. Wright.

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