Back Rejects Todd Satoshi Theory, Traces Bitcoin to Cypherpunk Roots

Adam Back, co-founder of Blockstream, has weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding the origins of Bitcoin (BTC). In a recent statement, he rejected claims that developer Peter Todd is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

Back argued that Bitcoin's proof-of-work math is not an invention, but rather a discovery. He pointed to a 1997 cypherpunks mailing list thread as evidence that the concept predates the 2008 white paper.

He also highlighted his own role in developing Hashcash, a system he wrote in 1997 to combat email spam, which was later cited by Satoshi in the Bitcoin white paper. Back said that Nakamoto's real achievement was solving the double-spending problem and integrating scattered ideas into one working system.