March 17, 2014

Dorian Nakamoto Hires Lawyer, Denies Any Bitcoin Connection

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Just a quick update on Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto of Temple City, the man Newsweek says is the inventor of Bitcoin. He has hired a lawyer and released a statement:

In the statement, Nakamoto says: “I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report….My background is in engineering. I also have the ability to program. My most recent job was as an electrical engineer troubleshooting air traffic control equipment for the FAA. I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies.”

The Newsweek story also notes what appears to be a strange gap in his resume over the last decade, the time during which the bitcoin code was written and released. Nakamoto explains:

“I have not been able to find steady work as an engineer or programmer for ten years. I have worked as a laborer, polltaker, and substitute teacher. I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress. I am trying to recover from prostate surgery in October 2012 and a stroke I suffered in October of 2013. My prospects for gainful employment has been harmed because of Newsweek’s article.”

I’ll confess that I’m surprised by how this story has progressed. The fact that the “Satoshi Nakamoto” who invented Bitcoin managed to stay anonymous for several years isn’t too remarkable. Trying to identify a single person out of 7 billion is hard. But once a particular person was identified, I expected that the online community would turn its talents on the guy like a laser beam, fairly quickly establishing without doubt whether he is or isn’t the right guy. But that hasn’t really happened. We still don’t know for sure.

Along with his unconditional statement, though, the fact that Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto hasn’t been conclusively identified as the Bitcoin founder is bad news for Newsweek. If he were really the guy, there would probably be a whole lot more evidence today than there was two weeks ago.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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