Being the Bitcoin ‘Creator’ made my life harder: Craig Wright

Lavina Daryanani
Source: Financial Times

Over the years, several speculations revolving around the Bitcoin creator have been formulated. While a few theories seem to be compelling and concrete, most others lack evidence. With researchers trying to prove who Satoshi really is, Craig Wright hasn’t refrained from blowing his own trumpet. Time and again, he has emphasized and re-emphasized that he is the creator of the world’s largest crypto.

In a recent interview with an Australian TV program The Project, Wright recalled,

“I created Bitcoin after I left the Australian Stock Exchange.”

The self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator now runs a digital finance company in London. His background, however, is hard to believe. Chalking out how he wears multiple hats, Wright said,

“I’m a chef, electrician. I’ve my motor-mechanics certificate. I’ve got a few doctorates already, multiple master‘s degrees.”

Emphasizing the exact number of degrees, he said, “I’ve probably 27 [degrees] I think.” Here, it is worth recalling that Wright has been accused of plagiarizing one of his doctoral thesis, and thus, his assertions need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Burden of proof

Back in 2015, the Australian federal police raided Craig Wright’s home after receiving warrants received from the Australian tax office. Back then, it was however clarified that the raid was not related to Wright’s suspected role in the digital currency. Around the same time, Wright and his wife were quick to jump onto planes to New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, before eventually making it to London.

With time, it did seem that pressure was mounting on Wright to prove that he was the creator and that all of Satoshi’s coins belonged to him. Wright had, however, declared that did not care about what people believed and what they didn’t.

Per Eric Lim, founder of the Crypto Clinic at the University of NSW, the simple way for Wright to prove that he’s Satoshi is to move some of the Bitcoin between accounts. Commenting on similar lines, Wright said,

“You don’t go out there and try and convince a Marxist that capitalism works. Proof has nothing to do with whether a bunch of idiots believes something.”

In fact, he went on to emphasize that nothing can be proved with keys and affirmed that such a theory was “one of the most stupidest things” he’s heard. Per him, however, people can prove that he’s the founder. Elaborating on the same, he said,

“I have people who knew me. Everyone seems to think I’m secret. I had family, I had friends. I’ve got people who are high up in the industry… That’s what proof is. Proof is always people.”

The money factor

Wright, as such, is not motivated by money or fame. In fact, he went on to reveal that being the founder of Bitcoin only made his life “harder.” While talking about his net worth, he said,

I’m not worth anything. I’m just a beneficiary to a trust.”

Well, Wright has been adamant about his Satoshi claims. However, time and again it has allegedly been proved that his evidence is false. In fact, in a recent ruling in the Wright-McCormack case, the judge had declared the same.

Read More: McCormack ‘pleased’ with case ruling against self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator