A lot of you probably know by now how much I tend to geek-out on certain topics and learn as much as I can about them. Well, I’ve found one topic that’s a rabbit hole of epic proportions, time travel.
Lately, I’ve seen a number of people (CZ, the founder of Binance is the latest of many) publicly floating the idea that Satoshi Nakamoto, the mythical creator of Bitcoin, is a time traveler from the future. While there’s no real evidence of this, there are several points in the argument that make you go hmmm and it’s fun and interesting to think about.
"You can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere, and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust." — John McAfee
Advanced Foresight
The concept of Bitcoin, introduced in the 2008 whitepaper, was remarkably advanced for its time. As the world evolves and the more I’ve learned about Bitcoin it seems like the perfect solution to the antiquated and corrupt legacy fiat monetary system.
Bitcoin combines cryptography, decentralized networking, and game-theory in a way that solves the double-spending problem (without a trusted intermediary) and this is something that eluded the brightest minds for decades. Although blockchain wasn’t mentioned specifically in the whitepaper, it laid the foundation for a technology that feels futuristic even today. Blockchain technology is being considered for several other applications now like—voting, energy grid management, supply chain logistics, intellectual property, and healthcare.
It’s not a far stretch to imagine that a future technologist, familiar with advanced blockchain ecosystems of a future time, could time travel to introduce Bitcoin as a “minimum viable product” to bootstrap a decentralized revolution of the financial sort in the past.
Anonymity and Disappearance
Although many people have claimed to either be Satoshi or know his/her/their identity, not a single one has been able to prove it. Nakamoto’s identity remains one of the greatest mysteries in tech. Despite many extensive investigations, no verifiable trace of Satoshi’s real-world identity has ever surfaced.
Satoshi Nakamoto communicated solely through pseudonymous channels (emails, forum posts), used privacy tools like Tor, and vanished entirely by 2011, leaving no personal footprint.
A time traveler would take special care to avoid detection, knowing that their presence could disrupt the timeline or attract unwanted attention from future adversaries. Nakamoto’s abrupt exit could indicate a return to their original time.
"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme." — Naval Ravikant
Anomalies and Quirks
Nakamoto’s writing and behavior exhibit quirks that fuel speculation. Their use of British English spellings (e.g., “favour” instead of “favor”) in some communications, combined with American English elsewhere, suggests an inconsistent linguistic profile. Additionally, their posting times on the BitcoinTalk forum show no clear pattern tied to a specific timezone, unlike most developers.
Someone from the future might struggle to perfectly mimic the linguistic and cultural trends of 2008, especially if their own time uses a different version of English or entirely new form of communication. Their erratic posting schedule could even be because of an inter-dimensional or intergalactic existence, not hindered by Earth’s regular 24-hour cycles.
Timing
The Bitcoin whitepaper was published in October 2008, just as the global financial crisis exposed the fragility, inequalities, and corruption of our centralized banking systems. Bitcoin’s genesis block, mined in January 2009, contained a cryptic message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks,” signaling the deep distrust of legacy fiat financial systems.
A time traveler from a future where centralized finance has already collapsed (or cryptocurrencies dominate) might have skillfully identified this precise moment in time to introduce Bitcoin, knowing it would take root with an already disillusioned and fearful public, perfectly setting the stage for a massive societal paradigm shift. So far, Satoshi's plan seems to be working.
Restraint
Bitcoin’s code, while groundbreaking, is on the conservative side and elegant. It avoids overly complex features, sticking to a robust but minimalistic design. Nakamoto didn’t incorporate advanced cryptographic techniques like zero-knowledge proofs, which were theoretically possible but not quite practical in 2008. We’re just now beginning to see zero-knowledge proof technology pop up in tokens like Aleph Zero (Azero), Zcash (ZEC), and Horizen (ZEN),
A future technologist with intimate knowledge of advanced cryptographic systems might have intentionally “dumbed down” Bitcoin to fit the technological constraints of the time, ensuring easier adoption over outright perfection. Their apparent indifference to Bitcoin’s long-term technical debates could show they had were confident in a future where Bitcoin has taken root and these issues are resolved.
Absence of Greed
The elusive Nakamoto is believed to hold approximately one million Bitcoin, making "him" one of the top 20th wealthiest people in the world today, yet none of these wallets have remained dormant since Bitcoin’s early days. This is puzzling for a number of reasons, and doesn't match how a majority of humans, motivated by wealth or power, would behave.
A time traveler might view Bitcoin’s value in those early years of 2008-2011 as irrelevant, especially if their future economy operates on different principles like post-scarcity (UBI) or fully crypto-based monetary systems. Also, they might avoid spending to prevent timeline disruptions or because their mission was purely ideological, not financial. With all of the discussion happening today around the need for UBI after AI and humanoid robots are fully integrated into society this isn’t a far stretch of the imagination. An unprecedented amount of human jobs will be disappearing within the next decade.
Broader Vision
Nakamoto’s writings occasionally hint at a broader vision for Bitcoin beyond mere currency. Terms like “trustless” and “decentralized” align with a worldview that prioritizes individual sovereignty, which was radical in 2008 but resonates more with today’s debates on privacy and autonomy.
A time traveler from a dystopian future, where financial censorship or surveillance is rampant, might have created Bitcoin as a preemptive tool to empower individuals through financial and ideological independence in our timeline, planting the seeds for resistance against an outcome known to them in the future.
Final Thoughts
The case for Satoshi Nakamoto as a time traveler rests on their extraordinary foresight, perfect anonymity, and the nearly perfect timing of Bitcoin’s launch. For me, probably the single largest reason that makes me even consider the time-travel hypothesis is the fact that Satoshi's identity has been kept secret for over a decade. Humans aren't exactly great at keeping secrets to themselves and this would become exponentially less likely if Satoshi was a group of developers.
While all of these points can be easily shrugged off or explained away, the time traveler hypothesis adds a layer of intrigue. It’s not hard to imagine, especially for a sci-fi writer like me, that Nakamoto could be a future agent, seeding our timeline with a technology that alters history’s course. This is all just a thought-experiment without evidence but the on-going mystery of Satoshi’s identity keeps the door open to possibilities.
Satoshi Nakamoto might not even be a man, woman, or group. Maybe Satoshi is some cryptic warning. A whisper from the far-off future saying “You’ll all need this soon.”
No matter who or what invented Bitcoin, like ever-wise Cornholio, I think most of us agree we all definitely need more of it in our portfolios.
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Heh, heh, heh, well of course we need Bitcoin in our wallets, but we should also invest more in the platform, as I notice, specifically on HIVE, that most of the users I rub shoulders with on a daily basis are just skimming the little that their publications generate. Amen, this will improve. Blessings.
Quite a few people in the space like the dopamine hits of the short gains and don't have the discipline or patience necessary to generate true wealth. That's why more people don't achieve financial independence.
I don't know about Satoshi Nakamoto, but just wanted to say that's my favorite Beavis quote! :))
It’s gold. I saw this the other day and immediately saved it to use in a “future” blog. : )
Time travel is a fun subject for sure! If only...if only...I could travel to the time just before Bitcoin came out, I for sure would have bought. A friend of my son was an early adopter, made a load of money when it was high.
Fascinating thought! There are many unknowns, so who knows?
I was listening to a YouTube video about who Satoshi could be.
Thank you for a thought-provoking post.
Have a good weekend, Eric!
It really is a fun topic. Once you start delving into it on the internet it's easy to lose hours. There are several well-known cases, here are just a few. I'm glad to hear your son's friend was able to make a good profit! We had over 100 Bitcoin back in 2018 but they were all stolen in the Bitgrail exchange hack. You're welcome, Lizelle. I'm glad it sparked your interest. Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Only a person like you, with your imagination and science fiction writer, can create such curiosity for me!!! I had read about Nakamoto before and had taken it for granted that he was a person or persons who wanted to stay hidden. But now I read your post and I think your idea seems to me more incredible and cool, perfectly in line with the times we live in. Like I should read more Nakamoto and look for a way to own Bitcoin. Hug, Eric
I definitely have an overactive imagination sometimes. Lol. I think it's very likely that "Satoshi" was a group of people but it's so rare that a secret like this can be kept this long. People love to share their secrets. Have a wonderful weekend Nancy! Enjoy a beer for me!
I stand with Cornholio! This will stand out as one of history's greatest mysteries. Who would have the foresight to come up with a workable platform, and then to be able to execute that plan, and get out without a trace? A time traveller would explain alot
Yes, hail Cornholio! That cartoon brings back so many good memories of my younger days. The part that makes me really consider the time traveler hypothesis is so few people would be able to keep a secret as big as this and when you consider the widely-believed opinion that Satoshi was a group of people, this makes it exponentially more difficult for the secret to be kept.
You're right! People are poor keepers of secrets lol.
Reading your post the only thing I can conclude is my ignorance in most of these topics like blockchaim, bitcoin, tokens and much more of them.
I have always wanted to make some savings in BTC because I do understand that that is the monetary future because it is less likely to be more vulnerable than the traditional financial system and avoids what happened in 2008 and other years when many people lost money they had in banks.
Anyway I appreciate the publication because I learned some elements around this topic, even, I am not ashamed to say that I did not know who Satoshi Nakamoto was.
Thanks for sharing.
Happy journey.
Cheers and best regards.
It's all pretty complicated. I've been reading about it since 2016 and still don't comprehend all the intricacies of it. You're smart to have savings in BTC. It won't take much to be well-off if we hold it long enough. All it will take is patience. You're welcome my friend. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Enjoy your weekend.
Stop omg I also went down the rabbit hole in the beginning hahaha. Buuuttt as I discussed with @ssekulji the other day I have a feeling he might come forward when all of Bitcoin will be mined! Idk how old will he be or is it possible but hey🫡
It is a time traveler then is spending that Bitcoin many years ahead in the future where it probably worth more than any number we can today expect.
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Right now, we have no specific evidence that the person who created Bitcoin is where he is at this time, and whether he will come back in the future world or not is a fact that no one knows yet.
Right, that's one reason the time traveler hypothesis is so intriguing.
i don't think so he is time traveler
but a long forecaster who sees the gap in the money system and created bitcoin.
I am not sure about whether world governments will readjust. I think there will be a war between pro centralization and pro decentralization, namely between a handful rich people and ordinary people.
travel back in time is pretty much impossible, we could eventually just jump forward
nothing forbids that he might have an extreme high IQ and be a visionaire
That's definitely an interesting theory! There is still so much that we don't know about when it comes to science and the universe.
Tried sharing this to r/bitcoin, got perma banned for "constant self promotion" apparently, lol.
How strange! It must be the links at the end to my website and YouTube channel?
Yeah not sure, they're known for being overly censorshippy and trigger happy. I checked, it was my 2nd share in 3 months and previous one wasn't a post of mine either, lol.
So weird! I’m sorry that happened.