Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto simply shares a name with the supposed creator of Bitcoin

Apr 23, 2014 13:57 GMT  ·  By

Back in March, the life of Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto was turned upside down as he was wrongfully identified as the mysterious founder of Bitcoin. Now, the man is saying thanks to all those who have helped him through Bitcoin donations.

Nakamoto appears in a YouTube video in which he thanks Bitcoin users for supporting him through the media madness that ensued after Newsweek magazine dubbed him the mysterious creator of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency.

He denied the allegations at the time, saying that he was a simple man who was even having troubles in finding a job and that he hadn’t even heard of Bitcoin until a few months before. Furthermore, he reasoned, had he been the inventor of Bitcoin, he’d never have used his true name.

“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,” reads a statement released by Nakamoto at the time.

The 64-year-old has said on several occasions that he has no desire to become public figure, despite all the attention he was getting. Furthermore, the entire scandal brought reporters to his front lawn and the entire thing caused a lot of stress to his family, including for his 93-year-old mother.

In the video, he appears alongside Andreas Antonopoulos, an online entrepreneur who actually started the crowdfunding campaign to support Nakamoto through the entire ordeal.

Only about 50 Bitcoins were collected for Nakamoto, but even so, the total sum is north of $20,000.

“I am very thankful for you, all these people, in US, Europe and Asia and Africa and South America who supported me throughout. I want to hug you, this 2,000 of you, who donated. I’m very happy, each one gives me a tick in my heart,” the clearly emotional Nakamoto said.

Newsweek was hoping to present the scoop of the year by unmasking “Satoshi Nakamoto,” a man who is believed to have a Bitcoin wallet worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, it could end up being sued.

Dorian Nakamoto hasn’t exactly said if he will take legal action against the magazine or not, but he did mention in the past that he had hired a law firm and would work to clear his name.