Coinbase Exec Revives Satoshi Nakamoto Debate with New Clues
1min read Coinbase Director Makes New Bold Satoshi Nakamoto Claims
In a recent development, Conor Grogan, the head of product business operations at Coinbase, has made new claims regarding the identity of Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Grogan's assertions have reignited the long-standing debate surrounding the true identity of the mysterious coder who launched the world's first cryptocurrency.
Grogan discovered a series of on-chain transactions linked to a Satoshi-controlled wallet that interacted with Cavirtex, a now-defunct centralized Bitcoin exchange based in Canada. These transactions, which date back to December 2013, suggest that Satoshi may have engaged with a centralized exchange, a move that was previously unheard of from the notoriously privacy-conscious developer.
If Satoshi was indeed a Cavirtex customer, the exchange could have collected personally identifiable information, including the developer's legal name and address. This revelation could potentially unravel one of the biggest mysteries in modern tech history. However, Cavirtex is no longer operational, having been acquired by Kraken in 2016.
Grogan's findings have sparked speculation about whether Kraken inherited any relevant information during the acquisition. While it is unclear if Cavirtex operated under mandatory know-your-customer (KYC) requirements at the time of Satoshi's interaction with the exchange, it appears that Cavirtex was already enforcing strict KYC policies as early as December 2013.
Kraken has so far responded to Grogan's claims with a lighthearted tweet, stating, "We are all Satoshi." While the exchange has not directly addressed the possibility of possessing Satoshi's identifying information, the discovery of these transactions has added a new layer to the ongoing quest to uncover the true identity of Bitcoin's creator.
