This Man Will Change Your Life

Bitcoin is a concept bold and disruptive.

It wasn’t merely ahead of its time; it slipped through time, arriving before the world even had the language to describe it.

Although, Satoshi offered more than code.
More than a network.

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Parts of the transcript follows.

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Introduction

And still it is not just about money.

Satoshi gave us more than a new kind of money.

What he unleashed was a question. A challenge buried in the open, for anyone willing to look past the obvious and confront how such an idea existed at all.

The vision, the implementation, the purpose… all of it is laid out in the Whitepaper.

This is where it begins — and exactly what the system of trust has spent more than a decade resisting. The very system Bitcoin is rendering obsolete. The banks, the payment processors, the central banks, the endlessly inflating fiat currencies. The entire financial machine, that is mired in stagnation.

Today, we revisit the word of Satoshi.

Words buried in old forums, mailing lists, and obscure archives. Through them, the intention becomes clear. You begin to see the purpose. You will begin to understand how Bitcoin was never merely about digital money.

We gathered early communications between cryptographers, developers, early adopters, and Satoshi himself, and shaped them into a single interview.

Perhaps, through this lens, Satoshi’s true vision will come into sharper focus.

Part I: The Whitepaper

Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper on October 31, 2008, on the cryptographers’ mailing list. Before Bitcoin, every previous attempt at creating digital money had ended in failure.

Its release signaled a turning point — one that hinted at a future built on decentralized systems.

Within days of the whitepaper’s release, several well-known cryptographers responded — among them Hal Finney.

Bitcoin quickly became a hot topic of discussion.

Although the project was still purely theoretical at that stage, Satoshi Nakamoto clearly articulated the reasoning behind Bitcoin and defended its technical design. Many contributors agreed that real judgment would only come once the code could be tested.

The first public comment came from a respected yet anonymous cypherpunk, James A. Donald, who expressed skepticism about Bitcoin’s ability to scale. This sparked a detailed exchange in which Satoshi answered multiple questions.

Satoshi argued that scaling had already been accounted for, explaining that Bitcoin would not hit a practical scaling ceiling thanks to Simplified Payment Verification (SPV), which allowed lightweight clients to verify transactions without storing the full blockchain.

Satoshi:
Long before the network gets anywhere near as large as that, it would be safe for users to use Simplified Payment Verification (section 8), to check for double spending, which only requires having the chain of block headers, or about 12 kilobytes per day.

Only people trying to create new coins would need to run network nodes. At first, most users would run network nodes, but as the network grows beyond a certain point, it would be left more and more to specialists with server farms of specialized hardware.

A server farm would only need to have one node on the network and the rest of the LAN connects with that one node.

The bandwidth might not be as prohibitive as you think. A typical transaction would be about 400 bytes. Each transaction has to be broadcast twice, so lets say 1 kilobyte per transaction. Visa processed 37 billion transactions in Financial Year 2008, or an average of 100 million transactions per day.

That many transactions would take 100 gigabyte of bandwidth, or the size of 12 DVD or 2 high definition quality movies, or about $18 worth of bandwidth at current prices.

If the network were to get that big, it would take several years, and by then, sending 2 HD movies over the Internet would probably not seem like a big deal.

Hal Finney was the first person to run Bitcoin besides Satoshi, and one of the earliest contributors to the project.

Hal Finney also entered this discussion and expressed his admiration for the idea. However, Hal also wanted to test the software himself, and delve deep into the code before deciding.

On January 10th, 2009, Satoshi launched Bitcoin, and the entire network quietly came to life as the early users began downloading the software and mining the first blocks.

Part II: Running Bitcoin

Announcing the release of Bitcoin.

Total circulation will be 21,000,000 coins. It’ll be distributed to network nodes when they make blocks, with the amount cut in half every 4 years.

first 4 years: 10,500,000 coins .
next 4 years: 5,250,000 coins .
next 4 years: 2,625,000 coins.
next 4 years: 1,312,500 coins.
etc…

When that runs out, the system can support transaction fees if needed. It’s based on open market competition, and there will probably always be nodes willing to process transactions for free.

Satoshi Nakamoto

Everyone following the cyphers mailing list could run Bitcoin themselves, although only a small number chose to do so in those early days.

Still, within the following months Bitcoin attracted dozens of new enthusiasts to its fledgling community.

Satoshi soon created the new bitcoin forum, bitcointalk, and moved all discussions there. The forum was a beacon for developers, cryptography experts, and curious innovators, early adopters who shared a belief in the potential of a decentralized future.

They contributed ideas and code, and helped lay the foundation for what many believed would become the money of the future.

Part III: Building A Community

Within just a year, the Bitcointalk forum had already become the best place to learn about Bitcoin.

People were mining Bitcoin using their home computers, volunteers were contributing to the project in direct communication with Satoshi, and early attempts at building a financial bridge began to emerge, most notably, the New Liberty Standard Exchange, which aimed to create a PayPal-to-Bitcoin ramp.

The first price Bitcoin traded ever was about one-tenth of a penny, and it was another landmark moment for the community.

However, the major moment for the project came shortly after, when Laszlo Hanyecz made history by purchasing two Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 BTC, marking the first real-world commercial transaction using Bitcoin.

The community celebrated every small achievement. Interest was growing rapidly, and people from all different fields were becoming captivated by this new digital money. The excitement led to one big question:

Was the moment everyone had been waiting for finally about to happen?

Up until then, no form of money existed outside the traditional financial system. Everything — whether PayPal or any online payment service — was ultimately tied to banks. No currency had ever successfully bypassed the bank-connected payment system.

The early adopters of Bitcoin understood this deeply, yet they held onto the hope that Bitcoin could change everything.

In 2010, an intriguing exchange between Dan Larimer and Satoshi Nakamoto unfolded. That conversation later became emblematic, marking Bitcoin’s history forever.

Dan Larimer was a software engineer that became a pioneer in the blockchain sector, having envisioned and materialized the concept of a decentralized exchange, or Dex, with the creation of Bitshares.

Furthermore he contributed a lot to the development of distributed proof of stake and co-founded Steemit, and EOS blockchains.

Satoshi, certainly knew which buttons to push, and Larimer understood he could also unleash his creativity in a new field, too promising to be true.

During Bitcoin’s earliest days, Satoshi Nakamoto alone steered developments and determined its future.

He controlled the codebase, issued software updates, and refined the protocol, supported only by a small group of volunteers.

Then, in October 2010, Satoshi made what would become one of the most consequential decisions in Bitcoin’s history.

Acting pre-emptively, he introduced an update that imposed a 1 Megabyte limit on size of each block, reducing them from unlimited capacity to a strict cap.

The move was driven by concerns about potential network-crippling spam attacks, a threat Hal Finney had repeatedly warned about.

According to Ray Dillinger, who later described their private conversations, Satoshi accepted Hal’s suggestion, although, all three of them — Satoshi, Hal, and Ray — considered the change only a temporary defense. The intention was clear.

The block size should be raised once the network matured.

In hindsight, this may have been the most dramatic intervention Satoshi ever made.

This, because the 1MB limit never changed.

Despite being meant as a short-term safeguard, it became permanent — shaping Bitcoin’s destiny, constraining its capacity to scale, and undermining Satoshi’s own vision that Bitcoin could serve as a global decentralized currency capable of supporting everyday commerce.

What followed was one of the most pivotal debates in Bitcoin’s history, unfolding across posts on the Bitcointalk forum, and far beyond it.

The community suddenly found itself confronting a decision with consequences that would echo for years.

Here’s the initial reaction of the early Bitcoin community, and the way Satoshi himself stepped in to respond.

JGarzik- We should be able to at least match Paypal’s average transaction rate…

Satoshi- We can phase in a change later if we get closer to needing it.

Freemoney — Satoshi just said it can be changed, so technically the network is capable.

Jgarzik — It is also an incompatible change, as you see…..

- martin — No, it’s incompatible if just a few people change their behaviour. To roll out a change to the network you need to get most of the clients understanding both the old and the new protocol, and then when you have a majority you turn on the new protocol.

- jgarzik You just described a whole-network upgrade. I’d call that an incompatible change. The effort to raise the transaction rate limit is the same as the effort to change the fundamental nature of bitcoins: convince the vast majority to upgrade.

- Satoshi: It can be phased in, like:
if (blocknumber > 115000),
maxblocksize = largerlimit
It can start being in versions way ahead, so by the time it reaches that block number and goes into effect, the older versions that don’t have it are already obsolete.
When we’re near the cutoff block number, I can put an alert to old versions to make sure they know they have to upgrade.

- kiba: If we upgrade now, we don’t have to convince as much people later if the bitcoin economy continues to grow.

Appamatto: I agree, especially since generators are both the source of blocks and “votes” in the network. Since a block restriction would allow generators to charge higher transaction fees, they might “vote” against an increase in the max size in the future.
It seems unlikely to be a real problem though.

In an email exchange with Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn, Satoshi explained how Bitcoin could scale infinitely and outperform every other payment network.

Citing Moore’s Law, he argued that rapidly increasing computing power would easily support larger blocks and higher throughput, enabling Bitcoin to grow beyond Visa’s capacity and become a major player in global commerce.

Part IV: I’ve moved on to other things

By late 2010, Bitcoin was already becoming a topic of interest among Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs, especially after Slashdot published its first article about it.

Yet its first major wave of real-world adoption came from an unexpected source. WikiLeaks.

With traditional financial channels blocked, WikiLeaks turned to Bitcoin as an alternative lifeline.

Accepting Bitcoin allowed the group to bypass financial sanctions and continue operating. Bitcoin donations funded core infrastructure and later helped support legal efforts.

However, Satoshi Nakamoto was unhappy about this development.

He immediately realized it might be time to step away before his identity risked being exposed.

Satoshi had created a form of money that could operate outside the traditional financial system. But in the case of WikiLeaks, Bitcoin wasn’t just bypassing banks — it was bypassing sanctions imposed by powerful nations. The implications were obvious: sooner or later, those same powers could come after him.

On the Bitcoin forum, the discussion unfolded.

Satoshi:

No, don’t “bring it on”.

The project needs to grow gradually so the software can be strengthened along the way.

I make this appeal to WikiLeaks not to try to use Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a small beta community in its infancy. You would not stand to get more than pocket change, and the heat you would bring would likely destroy us at this stage.

In the following days Wikileaks had already started accepting Bitcoin donations.

It seemed like mass adoption was on the horizon — along with all the challenges that come with it.

In one of his final posts on the Bitcoin forum, Satoshi wrote:

It would have been nice to get this attention in any other context.
WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet’s nest, and the swarm is headed towards us.

Satoshi Nakamoto

And it did.

However, Satoshi had already begun putting his exit plan into motion. What exactly happened to Satoshi, who he really was, or where this person went afterward remains a mystery and most likely always will.

In April 2011, four months later, Satoshi reached out to Mike Hearn in what would become his final communication.

Conclusion

We’ll probably never know who Satoshi Nakamoto is, and most likely the founder of Bitcoin never meant for things to end up this way.

The world still needs a working Bitcoin, a digital currency with no intermediaries.

Maybe one day we’ll all start using an Internet currency that works around the clock, with fast transactions and insignificant fees.

It could be something created by the banks — fully centralized, censorable, and controlled.

Or it could be a digital currency, completely free from intermediaries, used person to person.

Money that we control, and no one else.

The latter could usher in a new era of commerce and finance — boosting economies and empowering people everywhere, regardless of ethnicity, status, religion, or politics.

It would allow anyone, anywhere in the world, to hold at least a portion of their wealth in a sound, global money system, a system built to serve everyone, and not a privilege reserved for the few.

Bitcoin today can still be used for various purposes and assist people in need, even if it isn’t suited for everyday commerce. Those shaping the narrative have altered the vision and pushed the idea that Bitcoin is only digital gold.

That commerce gap was quickly filled by other cryptocurrencies, as well as by other versions of Bitcoin created through hard forks by Bitcoiners trying to maintain Satoshi’s original ideas.

However, real-world adoption in everyday commerce remains insignificant.

Cryptocurrencies are still too complicated for the average person.

The management of the private keys, the lack of education on transacting properly, the extreme volatility and price manipulation, and the unclear legislative global framework have all slowed the spread of permissionless money.

But the hope is that we are still early.

Cryptocurrencies will continue to evolve.

Some of the brightest minds of our generation are working to make everything simpler and safer, paving the way for the rapid growth of true peer-to-peer electronic cash.

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Interview With Satoshi was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Two years ago, I perfectly predicted both $100K BTC, AND how the price around this level would be the top, using simple math:

The 4th Bitcoin Halving And The Case Of $100,000 BTC

• The 4th Bitcoin Halving And The Case Of $100,000 BTC (April, 2023)

BTC was hovering around $30k (if I remember correctly) when I called $100k, and market sentiment was still negative as everyone was dealing with the fallout from the FTX collapse.

So in this particular story, I predicted both the bull and the bear cycles, though the bear arrived about six months later than I expected (and it’s not yet fully validated, it might need more time to play out entirely).

Exact timing is always difficult, since unforeseen events can shift market cycles.

The pattern itself was easy to locate and logical, and the calculations were simple. The fact that events have unfolded more or less according to that pattern until now supports the argument.

The only scenario that would invalidate it is if the price moves to a new all-time high, which is not unreasonable either, since BTC has not dropped lower than $75k in 2025, and still stands around $90k.

The Halving Effect

I calculated that each halving has ~82% less impact on price than the previous one.

Based on this diminishing effect, a move to around $100k was essentially guaranteed, but anything significantly above that was unlikely.

Later and well before the ATH, I revised my estimate to $120k, which I mentioned repeatedly in various posts on Medium and read.cash.

I also made it clear that I couldn’t see Bitcoin exceeding $120k (I’ll provide the links when I have time, you can look it up though).

With a 20% margin of error, that estimate was actually quite reasonable for crypto predictions, certainly more grounded than the overly-optimistic targets coming from various funds, banks and institutions.

Right now, nearly 20 million BTC are already in circulation, with only about 1 million left to be mined until around 2140.

Even with the 80% reduction in halving impact, the next halving won’t be meaningless, but depending on where BTC stabilizes (perhaps at $30k or even lower, if the bear market scenario continues to plays out), it’s entirely possible that we may never see a new BTC ATH again.

The story I linked has 2,000 reads, and people still thank me for the explanation of the pattern backing the $100k price.

And yet, I always point out that, according to different models, those based on P2P commercial adoption and Satoshi’s original economic framework, Bitcoin should be around $1 million by now. But the timeline that prevailed placed BTC roughly 90% below that theoretical valuation, and BTC maxis are contempt with that.

Conclusion

Sure, some predictions may seem unlikely, but when clear red flags appear, they’re hard to ignore. Tether, for instance is filled with red flags, but over time I realized it is allowed it to survive only for as long as it remains useful to the current system.

After that, its fate becomes far less certain.

I’m simply glad to help others and show them what reason and logic actually sound like.

I advocate for a disciplined investing approach rather than throwing money at whatever hype-driven nonsense appears.

I’ve explained many times why projects like Bitcoin Cash and Monero deserve far more recognition in the crypto landscape, especially when compared to random, centralized, VC-backed vaporware that was once marketed as “the next big thing.” And where are those projects now? BCH and Monero constantly targeting the top-10 while the hyped up marketing schemes slowly disintegrating in the market cap indexes.

Predictions are only one part of the picture.

What truly matters is integrity.

The commitment to uphold values, resist pressure to sell out, protect the audience, and deliver the kind of high-quality information that investors and curious minds genuinely need.

I explained this exact perspective in a YouTube video, but it was targeted by a coordinated wave of hostility. A troll farm was clearly deployed to flood the comments with personal attacks and to mass-downvote the content. I ultimately had to remove and block these bad-faith actors to protect the integrity of the discussion:

I’m currently doubling down on my bear-market prediction, though I’m concerned that the coming years may look bleak for cryptocurrencies, the global economy, and overall stability.

• My links: https://linktr.ee/panterabch

In 2023 I Predicted $100k BTC… was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In Hijacking Bitcoin, Roger presents an interpretation of Bitcoin’s history that is arguably more accurate than any other stand-alone source on the internet.

My abridged video version of the book has now reached 21,000 views on YouTube.

If you believe it has made a meaningful impact and deserves to reach an even wider audience, please share it, talk about it, and direct others to it.

Your support helps the message spread:

HIJACKING BITCOIN: The Hidden History Of BTC, by Roger Ver

However, it’s not all bright when it comes to YouTube.

For some time now, the platform has stopped promoting my videos the way it once did, especially Hijacking Bitcoin, despite strong metrics across the board.

In this write-up, I’ll take a closer look at the data from my YouTube channel and specifically from the Hijacking Bitcoin video.

Why YouTube’s Algorithm Didn’t Match the Metrics

I know for a fact that this video could easily reach 50–100k views, but it seems YouTube has limited its reach. And I’ll explain exactly why this may have happened.

First, take a look at the like-to-dislike ratio and the number of comments.

• 96.3% like ratio (654 likes)
• 116 comments
• 21,787 views

Stats that indicate the video performed well.

But in reality, it should have performed at least 100% better, and here’s why.

1. Impressions (YouTube Recommendations)

Impressions are only moving lower, despite positive interactions (likes, comments, shares) by the viewers.

Impressions are only moving lower, despite positive interactions (likes, comments, shares) by the viewers.

2. CRT (Click-through-rate)

CRT is high enough to justify a much better number of recommendations.

However, this is not normal either:

Only 19.7% of the views come from YouTube recommendations.

Just 5.1k of the total views came through YouTube’s recommendation system.

I’ve been wondering for a while whether this was normal, and as you will soon see below, it clearly is NOT.

YouTube is not promoting Hijacking Bitcoin as it should.

Most viewers are finding it through external links on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Medium, and watch the video embedded there.

Others find it via search on YouTube or Google, something that means that the algorithm should have recommended it even more!

This leads me to believe there may be some manual manipulation involved.

And here’s evidence. In the following chapter are the stats the video should have achieved if it hadn’t been artificially limited.

3. Comparison With a Different Channel I Manage

I run another monetized YouTube channel (educational — completely unrelated to cryptocurrency), where videos often reach 50,000 views with high watch time.

From this experience, it became to me clear that something is off with the crypto channel, strongly suggesting that the algorithm may have been manually adjusted.

Here’s an example of how the breakdown should have looked, using a video with 50,000 views.

WHAT IS NORMAL:

Actually, this is the low end. YouTube’s reach should typically account for at least 40 tp 50% of a video’s views.

For Hijacking Bitcoin, this was less than 20%.

These numbers reflect what happens when the algorithm isn’t being manipulated by a YouTube admin according to personal preferences:

23k views came from recommendations alone, out of 287k impressions — around 50% of the total views. In comparison, for Hijacking Bitcoin that percentage is less than 25%.

These numbers can vary, but the fact here is that Hijacking Bitcoin was much more unique and better work than anything else I ever created. Every metric is better than this video, which did receive less shares, comments, likes, lower like/dislike ratio, but a normal distribution.

I could be wrong in my assumption, but I’d greatly appreciate insights from other content creators about YouTube’s algorithm. Let me know if you think my suspicion is justified — that there may be foul play or manual intervention limiting the reach of my videos.

Monetization

The channel is monetized, which means ads are shown, so if you want to avoid ads, use a browser adblocker like “uBlock Origin”.

New views mainly come from people searching for Hijacking Bitcoin, rather than from YouTube’s recommendations, since the platform no longer recommends the thumbnail despite the positive metrics and searches.

Total revenue from YouTube:

So, revenue from YouTube has actually been negligible so far. My other successful channel earns about 30 times more, but again not enough to worth fully committing.

Cryptocurrency content, in particular, has much more competition with all the YouTubers acting as clowns, and my content is faceless with TTS (text-to-speech). The difference is the approach. I don’t plan to expose my face to the public and act as a clown, rug people or whatever. I don’t want my followers to like my looks, my face, or my voice, but find value in the information I provide. The message I send, this way is more important than someone in a thumbnail with their mouth open, even if that means there will be less views, less watch time, less revenue.

Creating crypto videos and content is purely a hobby to me.

I make these videos when I feel like it, completely on my own, with no outside help.

If one day a video goes viral, that would be amazing, not just for the potential income, but also for the hope that a creator could eventually dedicate themselves fully to content creation and escape the rat race.

It’s always more fulfilling to work hard on something you truly enjoy. That said, I don’t expect this to happen anytime soon. My free time is limited to just a few hours each day, and YouTube’s strict demands for “consistency” in uploading new content are impossible to meet unless I dedicate all of my available time to it.

Still, I have plans for new videos in the future and a new one is coming soon.

[Conclusion] New Video Out Soon

People tend to search for Hijacking Bitcoin more often when the price of Bitcoin (BTC) drops or when Bitcoin Cash (BCH) rises.

Some investors eventually start asking what’s really going wrong when prices fall. They begin looking for answers, and that usually happens during bear markets or when something they previously dismissed, like BCH, Zcash, and others, suddenly gain attention.

Thus, when the entire market crashes and BCH rises, many confused investors start to wonder whether all the hype pushed by shills has any real substance or whether the true value lies somewhere else, hidden in plain sight.

A new video will be coming out in about two weeks.

I don’t make “politically correct” content for investors who only want comforting narratives.

This upcoming video will once again focus on Bitcoin as a whole, and reinforce the case I’ve been making all these years. A honest approach that has earned strong support from thousands of followers across every network I’ve been on.

Hijacking Bitcoin (Watch in 4k!)

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👉The Crypto Kiosk Publication:

The Crypto Kiosk

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The Impact Of “Hijacking Bitcoin” was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Missing Link

The events that unfolded throughout Bitcoin’s history, the stories shared by early adopters, the remarkable personalities who shaped its path, those who joined later, the heists, scams, black markets, and the darknet itself, all contribute to the mythical scale of the Bitcoin phenomenon.

Bitcoin is a tale both vast and extraordinary, and at its center lies the greatest mystery of all, the true identity of its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

In this video, we venture deep into that rabbit hole, exploring strange coincidences that have slipped past unnoticed and clues that might point to unexpected suspects.

Join us as we embark on a journey to uncover what little can be known about the most elusive figure in modern history — Bitcoin’s mysterious architect, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Subscribe and like to assist the channel achieve higher reach, if you enjoyed watching.

Dorian Nakamoto: Still a Person of Interest

A cop once told me they let people talk, they don’t cut them off. They listen carefully, because somewhere in everything that is said, a fragment of truth always surfaces. Not the whole truth, but maybe part of it, concealed under excuses or twisted by uncertainty.

But there’s always a phrase, a single sentence that hints at the heart of what really happened.

Dorian’s interview was, in many ways, nothing more than an examination.

In his words, there were glimpses of truth, but also hints of suspicion toward people he had once worked with or contacted.

He did say he wanted to know who chose this name, because he genuinely believed his identity was borrowed to divert attention and lead investigators away from the real creator.

Dorian likely had no role in creating Bitcoin, but it remains possible he knows more than he ever chose to reveal.

Hal Finney

Hal Finney is one of the top candidates for the Satoshi name.

A lot evidence suggest his involvement with creating Bitcoin.

• Background in cryptography
• Mastery of C++ programming
• Creator of RPOW, an early proof-of-work system for digital currencies to counter double spending
• First person to run the Bitcoin software after Satoshi
• Recipient of the very first Bitcoin transaction
• One of the earliest to respond to Satoshi’s whitepaper in the cryptographers’ mailing list
• Mentioned by Satoshi to Adam Back during their initial email exchange
• Became increasingly involved with Bitcoin, especially in late 2010, just as Satoshi was planning to step back

And yet, Hal Finney categorically denied any involvement in the creation of Bitcoin.

He openly shared with reporters a series of about 15 emails exchanged between himself and Satoshi Nakamoto, containing technical discussions focused on bug fixes and code notes. These messages provide a rare glimpse into the early development of Bitcoin.

Hal denied knowing Dorian Nakamoto and outright dismissed claims he used his name as an alias.

Conclusion

The elusive identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains shrouded in mystery, and there are so many potential candidates, dozens, even hundreds. Cryptographers, programmers, entrepreneurs.

Dorian is not the creator of Bitcoin but Finney’s case is different. He will always be admired for his pioneering work on Bitcoin and his lifelong dedication to online privacy.

Finney continued to deny being Satoshi, even in his last days, and despite all the theories and evidence, perhaps we owe it to him to accept his word.

Yet, the theory of a third person cannot be ignored, someone who knew both Dorian and Hal Finney, and intentionally used Dorian’s original name, Satoshi Nakamoto, as an alias to send investigators chasing shadows.

The most likely scenario is also the simplest, and perhaps the saddest: Satoshi may no longer be among us.

And that, perhaps, is why we may never truly uncover who Satoshi Nakamoto.

Hal Finney and the Hunt for Satoshi Nakamoto was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

History of Bitcoin: A Personal Journey Inspired by Roger Ver’s Book, Hijacking Bitcoin

My understanding of Bitcoin’s history, shaped by research and personal experience, closely aligns with the account Roger Ver presents in Hijacking Bitcoin.

Still, while reading the book, I encountered many details I hadn’t known before. Since I only began studying and buying Bitcoin in March 2017, much of the earlier history was entirely new to me, despite my research of the early days.

In his book, Roger explains why Bitcoin was created, what problem it aimed to solve, why its price rose so quickly, and how it posed a serious challenge to the existing corrupt financial system.

Bitcoin was humanity’s greatest chance to free itself from this system, but this chance was lost.

Roger also makes the case that the original vision of peer-to-peer electronic cash was preserved and carried forward through Bitcoin Cash.

This was also why I began following Bitcoin Cash in 2021 . It represented, to me, THE TRUTH within a field dominated by lies, manipulation, greed, and deceit.

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By 2017, Bitcoin Was Already Toxic

From my very first steps into the Bitcoin world in 2017, I sensed something was wrong, especially in the Bitcoin forum (bitcointalk.org).

I wanted trace the roots of Bitcoin and eagerly read Satoshi’s posts and the discussions with the early community.

The passion was real and overwhelming.

Looking back to these days, I would describe the early Bitcoin community as a powerful force waiting to be unleashed.

It was a movement ready to challenge the corrupt financial system that caused the 2008 crisis and offer people economic freedom through a decentralized, digital money system.

Reading early forum posts was, for me, the best education on Bitcoin I could ever have.

People were excited whenever a new business accepted Bitcoin.

Developers patiently answered, they were responding to newcomers and skeptics. The spirit was open, respectful, and full of purpose.

There was no arrogance. No trolling. No toxicity.

However, as I continued my study of the modern community, I came to perceive a very different reality.

The newer posts were full of hostility. Aggressive arguments, trash talk, trolling, flame wars. This approach was spilling everywhere. It felt like a mob had taken over, silencing anyone who asked honest questions.

I experienced it firsthand.

As a beginner, I quickly realized that my questions about Bitcoin’s use for payments were often ignored or even mocked by several “high profile” bitcointalk members.

Yet, I had read the whitepaper, and coming from the banking and payments sector, I clearly understood the problems Satoshi was trying to solve. I also knew the banks would eventually push back.

I just didn’t expect was that they had already set changes in motion.

So, it became clear. The people orchestrating these attacks were pushing a single message. That Bitcoin would never amount to anything as a payment system, and their strategy was to ridicule anyone who didn’t support the “digital gold” narrative.

In the early days, people supported Bitcoin because they believed in the mission of P2P electronic cash.

They gave their time freely to promote a tool that could replace fiat currencies and remove middlemen from transactions.

But by early 2017, even before the hard fork (August 2017), everything had changed.

The moment I joined, the community was split, with one half aggressively attacking the other.

The ecosystem was toxic, and many users seemed bitter, angry, or unwilling to help newcomers understand Bitcoin.

At the time, I could not connect the dots, but later it became clear that many of the toxic voices opposing Bitcoin’s use for payments were not authentic.

They were Blockstream employees, hired Core developers, and influencers who consistently align themselves with Blockstream’s agenda.

Obviously, all under Blockstream’s payroll.

Above them were bankers, Wall Street investors, and likely even individuals with ties to powerful institutions, essentially anyone who stood to benefit from preserving the status quo, the same monetary system that causes recessions and steadily erodes the value of money.

It all affected me deeply.

Most newcomers in 2017 probably never explored Bitcoin as thoroughly as I did, but this kind of research is something I enjoy.

What I discovered was deeply unsettling, and years later, Roger’s book finally helped me connect all the dots.

Hijacking Bitcoin captures this toxic environment with precision.

It describes a space filled with propaganda, character assassinations, and coordinated efforts to suppress the voice of anyone questioning the absurd direction Bitcoin was taking.

It shows how development was hijacked, innovation stalled, and dissent silenced.

Why I Created The Video

The book had a much bigger impact on me than I ever expected.

Just a week after finishing it, I started working on a video, and within six weeks, I completed it using all of my free time after work.

I had already reached out to Roger Ver for permission to use parts of his book in this video adaptation.

He agreed, and I’m glad to say he enjoyed watching it.

The 300 pages of the book will fill in gaps you probably sensed were there but you were hesitant to explore.

My goal was to expose the deception in this space, since that deception is what holds back Bitcoin’s true growth and adoption.

While deception may have helped drive BTC’s price to $100,000, and holders can certainly celebrate that milestone, it is important to understand that this surge was not caused by Bitcoin’s original disruptive promise: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system.

Deception won’t last forever.

Eventually, the institutions currently inflating prices will question Bitcoin’s real value. When they do, they will realize they are just gambling.

Bitcoin is currently already under the control of legacy finance, tamed, and not disruptive anymore.

Core developers now align with the interests of major financial institutions, ensuring that the existing financial status quo remains intact.

The opportunity to replace Core came and went in 2017.

That window is now permanently closed.

If you want to know the truth, it’s out there, in Hijacking Bitcoin.

Hijacking Bitcoin, The Video

The side that hijacked Bitcoin succeeded in painting Roger Ver as a villain by launching a massive propaganda campaign against him.

Roger also faced difficult times with the US tax authorities, strangely right after the publication of his book, Hijacking Bitcoin, but it appears this situation is now settled.

Ver has been a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency evangelist for more than fifteen years, consistently advocating for peer-to-peer electronic cash as the foundation of a freer economic system.

My video has reached 21,000 views on YouTube, and I still receive messages from people who discover it randomly and ask why it doesn’t have even more views.

Maybe, that’s because everyone is only interested in the price of these digital assets, instead of the actual purpose.

Or maybe that the vast majority of people never understood money at all, cause if they did, they would have minimized their reliance on trust.

***Story was edited and partially rewritten on 8 November 2025.

• Roger Ver’s Hijacking Bitcoin on Amazon (no referral)

Also Read:

Hijacking Bitcoin: By Roger Ver

The Crypto Kiosk Publication:

The Crypto Kiosk

👉 LinkTree (my links)

👉 Pantera Crypto on YouTube

👉 Tipb.ch

Don’t forget to Subscribe and Like!

Bitcoin: What You Were Never Told was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Roger Ver’s Best-Seller With an Incredible Video Breakdown

We’ve discussed Hijacking Bitcoin before, but here’s a reminder: Don’t miss it if you want to uncover the true history of Bitcoin!

The video is gaining momentum, now at 17,500 views and climbing!

If you haven’t watched it yet, now’s the time…

See for yourself why it’s making waves!!

Roger Ver, known as Bitcoin Jesus, dedicated himself to Bitcoin’s original vision. However, as time went on, many newcomers became more focused on price speculation rather than the principles laid out by Satoshi Nakamoto and the early community that built Bitcoin from the ground up.

This book offers a deep dive into that transformation - a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what really happened.

This is Hijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC, in 4K:

Watch on YouTube, share, like and subscribe!

You can most likely help the channel and the video achieve higher reach by subscribing and commenting.

Moreover, you can definitely help me by turning YouTube notifications on.

Subscribe on YouTube (it’s free!):

Pantera Crypto

About Roger

Roger Ver tried to defend Bitcoin from the narrative shift promoted by bankers and the Core group of developers who now control the project.

He published a book exposing the hidden truths about Bitcoin — then, just weeks later, he was arrested in Spain at the request of U.S. authorities, accused of failing to pay an exit tax on his Bitcoin fortune.

Coincidence? You decide.

Roger Ver is currently under arrest in Spain, barred from leaving the country as he awaits extradition to the U.S.

Anyone familiar with accounting knows that asset valuation should be based on fair value. Meanwhile, whales manipulate prices effortlessly — shifting Bitcoin between wallets to push prices down, only for the market to crash when they sell.

Roger has directly or indirectly helped thousands, if not millions, through his actions. He actively sought to resolve any tax disputes, even asking authorities to clarify exactly what he owed so he could pay it. Yet, despite his willingness to comply, bureaucracy and absurdity have seemingly overshadowed reason.

Conclusion

With this video, we set out to uncover the untold truths that many people never had the chance to learn.

Truths buried by the one-sided narrative the crypto industry chose to promote about the pivotal events of 2015–2017.

Bitcoin was always Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash.

This is the truth the BTC maximalists will NEVER tell you.

Looking back, Roger Ver did an incredible job documenting Bitcoin’s history in a way no one else has.

His work stands head and shoulders above books like The Bitcoin Standard and The Blocksize War, exposing a deeper, more complete picture of what really happened.

At this point, aside from Satoshi’s original whitepaper, this book is the most important one for any Bitcoiner — whether they agree with Roger or not.

Oh, and here’s something you don’t want to miss — The Whitepaper is live on my channel! Go check it out!

The Whitepaper, by Satoshi Nakamoto:

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👉Pantera Crypto on YouTube

👉The Crypto Kiosk Publication:

The Crypto Kiosk

👉 LinkTree (my links)

👉 Tipb.ch

🙏 Donations:

👉BTC: bc1qfjv2825yttyd6l26qsj3vgfk064swypwv094zh
👉BCH: bitcoincash:qpv5fal7vnwh3u3hl5c7xlrx6kwu87tklgrgcfh05k
👉XEC: ecash:qpprhvqmgdrqpuj5whfd0alxm63gfn6p7s3scfjd94
👉Monero (XMR): 852Vv92sLb59GH4tjxox6yEaBpkVnn3GeT8tf4rXquBy32dcfhnKT7C7tC6zMsdyF5DFQ31VBd63CKiMRMxWSEHiMNDoW69

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“HIJACKING BITCOIN” Goes PARABOLIC On YouTube! was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (on YouTube)

Bitcoin’s whitepaper, published by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, introduced a revolutionary decentralized digital currency that redefined the future of finance.

Its profound impact has sparked a global movement, reshaping economies, challenging traditional systems, and igniting the rise of blockchain technology.

This is the whitepaper.

Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System

Watch in stunning 4K for the ultimate viewing experience.

Don’t forget to like and hit the notification bell so you never miss out on more exciting content!

Subscribe on YouTube (it’s free!):

Pantera Crypto

Subscribe on Medium to get notified of new stories (it’s free!):

Get an email whenever Pantera publishes.

Bitcoin’s Whitepaper, by Satoshi Nakamoto.

In 2008, an anonymous person under the alias of Satoshi Nakamoto, unknown to anyone until that point, published the whitepaper in the cryptographers’ mailing list.

This was the beginning of the first decentralized currency that bypassed the financial system and empowered the individual by granting full access to their wealth.

Satoshi started a financial revolution but also provided a powerful tool for individuals to utilize under difficult financial and political circumstances. With the whitepaper, we heralded the era of financial empowerment.

Bitcoin today has a dark side as well.

The mainstream version (BTC) apparently has been hijacked and diverted from the original intention of a system of payments (P2P Cash), as one development team (Bitcoin Core) is powerful enough to command and dictate consensus.

No changes towards increasing scalability were successful due to the adamant denial of a few people in control.

Readers can look up the rest of my work where these topics have been analyzed in depth.

• Hijacking Bitcoin: by Roger Ver
• The Dark Side Of Bitcoin
• The Insane Truth About Bitcoin

I created The Whitepaper Video because to truly understand Bitcoin, one must first understand its origins.

There’s no better source of information than the original paper, where the creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, outlines the intention, vision, and structure of Bitcoin.

Conclusion

Even if you’re just an investor, it’s crucial to understand what exactly you’ve invested in.

Satoshi Nakamoto never once mentioned the term “store of value” in the Bitcoin whitepaper.

Throughout his correspondence, he emphasized that Bitcoin was designed as a payment system.

The payment properties is the part of Bitcoin the Core development team fought against for years, alongside some early infiltrators and investors from the banking sector, all sharing a vision different than the original one.

They institutionalized Bitcoin, tamed its revolutionary potential, and stripped away its most disruptive power, the one that challenged the greed of banks.

Maybe Bitcoin (BTC), can still succeed as a store of value, as some of its proponents suggest.

Maybe it won’t.

What remains, however, is that one head was cut, and thousands more emerged.

You can hijack a project, but you can never suppress an idea.

Other cryptocurrencies have risen to fulfill the mission Satoshi envisioned, and a few of them are already succeeding in doing so.

It won’t be long before these tools become essential on a larger scale.

Also Watch (17k Views Thus Far):

👉Pantera Crypto on YouTube

👉The Crypto Kiosk Publication:

The Crypto Kiosk

👉 LinkTree (my links)

👉 Tipb.ch

🙏 Donations:

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👉XEC: ecash:qpprhvqmgdrqpuj5whfd0alxm63gfn6p7s3scfjd94
👉Monero (XMR): 852Vv92sLb59GH4tjxox6yEaBpkVnn3GeT8tf4rXquBy32dcfhnKT7C7tC6zMsdyF5DFQ31VBd63CKiMRMxWSEHiMNDoW69

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The Whitepaper, by Satoshi Nakamoto was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The End Of The Era Of Bitcoin BTC

You Were All Wrong

Waiting patiently for BTC to hit $50K, a price that will mark the end of this cycle and the beginning of a two-year bear market.

If this unfolds in the coming days, it will go exactly as I predicted back in 2023.

Bitcoin went up to $100k, and that was it’s ultimate peak with the final BTC cycle that was enabled by the 4th halving (the last one that mattered).

What’s next for Crypto?

Sure, the crypto bear market hasn’t begun yet, but given the current economic conditions, who in their right mind would invest in highly speculative assets?

Here’s what will happen when the bear begins:

• Tether’s collapse
• The downfall of a several big exchanges.
• Investors crying for “consumer protection”.
• Saylor committing suicide (does he actually have any other exit plan?)
• Exit scams
• Exchange hacks

The red flags were everywhere for a long time.

Take, for example, what Marc De Messel posted on X a month ago:

That was an INSTANT RED FLAG!!!!

When retail euphoria reaches this level, the top is near.

I warned Marc about it, and I think he already knows how to identify sell signals and this was probably the reason he posted this tweet.

However I saw all these signs, too. Being connected to the real market gives a better insight on euphoria.

For some time now, every clueless person around me, lacking fundamental knowledge of cryptocurrencies, was telling me to buy Bitcoin!

I have learned to identify the counter-indicators and realized immediately the market was overheating.

And trust me, their intelligence is… questionable. It was a bit unnerving as well to have total clueless people telling me to buy, when I specifically told them I bought Bitcoin in 2017 at a price 99% lower than this.

This was also the reason I warned everyone at $100k with this

• Bitcoin BTC Ends Here

All the signs of a market overheating were there.

And I’m really glad this story found an audience (close to 10K reads!)

Recession Doesn’t Allow Hope

Most likely, this is it.

The crash is coming — and fast.

Yesterday, Trump warned us about a recession.

Today’s prices seem like a preemptive strike by the market before a massive pullout of capital from tech stocks.

The bloodbath is ahead…

And for those who witnessed the economic crisis nearly 20 years ago, this will be just as brutal.

Prices of cryptocurrencies will also fall, because crypto doesn’t move in isolation.

Investors will pull money from everything, starting with their riskiest bets.

Over the next 2 to 5 years, we’ll witness both major economic hurdles but also those who waited on the sidelines will find major opportunities.

The coming economic downturn will wreak havoc across all markets. Housing, stocks, energy, and crypto will take severe hits. Who wins? Those who held cash. Some banks will collapse, but the biggest ones always survive.

The Final Cycle Of BTC

As for BTC, now captured by the finance sector, it’s not just facing a price collapse.

Security risks, network failures, and even a death spiral are on the table. I’ve detailed this before in articles and videos.

And now, we reach the final phase of my 2023 prediction:

• BTC will not significantly exceed $100K.
• The bear market begins, dragging it back down to $15K or lower.
• BTC has no fundamentals this time — no real adoption in payments, which was its original purpose (see the Whitepaper: A P2P Electronic Cash System).

To all the trash commenters, paid shills, and clueless noobs who flooded my Medium posts and YouTube videos — GFY.

I told you BTC would hit $100K but not go beyond. I told you it would happen in Q4 2024. I told you after that, it would be game over for this pathetic version of Bitcoin.

The End of an Era

Not my best video presentation, but the ideas presented matter more.

This video is based on this story from April 2023:

• The 4th Bitcoin Halving And The Case Of $100,000 BTC (Apr 15, 2023)

The 4th Bitcoin Halving And The Case Of $100,000 BTC

Each halving of BTC presents 82% less effect on the price.

Will $100K Be The Last BTC ATH?

$100,000 for Bitcoin is the probable top for 2024 (or Q1 2025), but the halving alone without a rising network effect will not assist Bitcoin for anything better.

$100K should be the maximum Bitcoin can reach, with the current macro conditions (inflation dropping to 5% (ICP) and the dollar stabilizing).

The next BTC halving of 2024 will be the final one that will bear any significance.

You can follow the link and read the rest.

Bitcoin BTC Ends Here

The end

Bitcoin, Ends Here

• Bitcoin BTC Ends Here

HFSP you were telling us, right? Well let’s see who has HFSP as whales sell 1% of their coins and crash the market while laughing on their way to the bank.

Global recession is almost here. Did we predict something like that?

Apparently we did exactly that too!

• The Looming Recession Of 2025 (Sep 3, 2024)

The Looming Recession Of 2025

You can thank your low-IQ orange-tinted president for accelerating everything bad that is already happening, and for increasing both the possibility AND severity of the coming recession.

• America Has Fallen

America Has Fallen

Conclusion

Finally, if you truly want to understand the history of Bitcoin and how it degenerated from a disruptive monetary system into a speculative bubble and a Ponzi scheme, here is the sequence of events:

The world is heading into chaos.

It won’t be fun to watch, and I’m genuinely saddened that this is happening again — though this time, I’m in a position to seize the opportunities that emerge.

Apologies for any mistakes or tone — I didn’t proofread this.

The End Of The BTC Era was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Trump’s Betrayal and the Dawn of World War III

Donald Trump has just committed one of the most disgraceful acts in American presidential history by openly isolating the United States from Western values and aligning himself with the autocratic regime of Vladimir Putin.

Surrounding himself with opportunists, nepotists and dishonorable figures of little to no merit, Trump continues to erode America’s credibility on the global stage.

In the latest Oval Office discussion with Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump and his Vice-President J.D. Vance not only mocked and berated Ukrainian President but also introduced a dangerous new doctrine in geopolitics: mob boss politics.

Rather than upholding America’s centuries old liberty values and supporting a friendly nation under siege, Trump has chosen to side with tyranny, taking the side of the unlawful invader.

During the meeting with Zelensky he accused him of attempting to start World War 3!

Yet it is Trump who has just started WW3 instead.

The events that are about to unfold will be catastrophic:

• escalating global tensions
• widespread geopolitical instability
• economic collapse
• and the looming threat of authoritarianism expanding

Nations will be forced to choose sides, and the very fabric of democracy will be put to the test as freedom, sovereignty, and international alliances are torn apart.

Every extreme decision taken will be rationalized, twisted, and turned into a distorted narrative as a necessity for “peace”, even as it deepens global chaos, silences dissent, and empowers dictatorships.

Support for these actions will be manufactured through social media with fake likes, bots, and manipulated social media campaigns, creating an illusion of widespread approval while masking the true cost of these reckless policies.

Trump has effectively given Putin the green light to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and extend his aggression into Europe, threatening nations like Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Finland.

Anyone refusing to submit to Putin’s will now stands as a potential target.

Just as Adolf Hitler’s Blitzkrieg and occupation of Poland didn’t end there, Putin’s goals will not end with Ukraine either.

Contrary to his claims of preventing World War III, Trump has accelerated its onset.

His so-called ‘peace agreement’ offers Ukraine nothing, handing everything to Putin — land, sovereignty, resources, and the future of a nation of 35 million people.

THIS IS NOT DIPLOMACY

Trump’s ambitions go beyond just supporting dictators, though as he has shown an inclination for territorial expansion himself.

From openly discussing the acquisition of Greenland and Panama to making reckless plans about occupying the Gaza Strip and turning it into a resort, and even threatening Canada, Trump’s vision for America mirrors that of an imperialist regime.

His version of the United States is as dangerously authoritarian as any past aggressor in history, prepared to invade, occupy, and exploit for its own gain.

It is both absurd and abhorrent for someone claiming to promote peace to disparage an invaded nation for its refusal to surrender.

The tone of voice, body language, personal attacks and insults by Trump, Vance, and other participants at the meeting point to a single truth:

Trump made America an untrustworthy partner to most, and even a dangerous foe to some.

Ukraine’s fight is not one of choice.

The country struggles for survival against a brutal dictator who imprisons and assassinates political opponents, silences dissidents, throws critics off balconies, and orders killings even beyond Russia’s borders.

Putin, who dares to call Ukraine a “Nazi” state, is in reality the one embodying the very Nazism he falsely attributes to his victim.

Ukraine has had its share of extremist elements, they are a small fraction of the population which is no different from those in other nations, including Russia itself.

The true Nazi in this scenario was Putin, whose actions reflect the very definition of tyranny and oppression.

Meanwhile, Trump and his enablers manipulate the principles of peace and freedom to mask their real intentions.

This so-called “peace deal” wasn’t about peace.

It was a ruthless scheme to divide Ukraine’s resources with Russia, strip the country of its sovereignty, and annihilate its future.

When they speak of “peace”, they mean surrender, forcing Ukraine to bow to Putin’s demands.

When they talk about “freedom of speech”, they actually seek to control speech.

They mean acquiring the ability to spread mass disinformation, distort reality, and employ propaganda tactics reminiscent of Goebbels’ Nazi-era playbook. Freedom of speech for them, censorship for the rest.

The entire meeting was a carefully orchestrated farce designed to belittle Zelensky and serve as the first step in advancing the MAGA agenda for territorial expansion of the US.

It wasn’t a meeting about peace but one that dismantled any chance of Ukraine achieving it without losing it’s future.

Furthermore, the US President declared how the restructure of global power begins and how the geopolitical landscape as we know it today shifts dramatically.

The hatred in Trump during the meeting is palpable, his angry, scornful face dripping with sarcasm and smug disdain.

Next to him stands Zelensky, the David facing Goliath, embodying a man of true character, unyielding to threats, and determined to defend his people.

The United States of America may have fallen, but Europe will not bow to either Putin or Trump.

Unlike Trump’s America, which has just abandoned its allies, Europe stands firm in defending democracy, sovereignty, civil rights, and justice.

History will remember who stood for freedom and who betrayed it.

Mysterious Disappearances and Deadly Secrets

Strange coincidences, or a mysterious web of sinister interests conspiring against the key players in the crypto realm?

Over the years, we’ve witnessed a string of unexplained deaths of prominent figures in the crypto world, fueling theories of foul play.

Such events might also explain why Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious person or team behind Bitcoin, went to such lengths to protect their identity, paranoid that even the slightest privacy breach could expose them to dangerous forces.

The deaths of several influential individuals in the crypto space raise unsettling questions about the price one has to pay in the volatile world of cryptocurrency.

Could it be that their meteoric rise to power has attracted enemies determined to eliminate them in a bid for control over the digital frontier, or perhaps the universe conspires to strike down those who rise to prominence?

Watch my new documentary in 4K resolution for the ultimate experience!

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Pantera Crypto

Transcript

The cryptocurrency world has seen its fair share of remarkable individuals, visionaries who changed the way we think about money, technology, and the future.

But with great innovation comes great mystery.

Some of the most influential figures in cryptocurrency have vanished or passed away under unexplained circumstances, leaving behind more questions than answers.

In this video, we delve into the mysterious deaths and disappearances of crypto moguls — stories filled with twists, secrets, and dark suspicions.

Are these unfortunate events mere coincidences, or is something more sinister lurking in the shadows?

Buckle up. You’re about to uncover the dark side of crypto.

Part I: Where In The World Is Satoshi Nakamoto

Satoshi Nakamoto. The name rings out as a beacon of revolution, the creator of Bitcoin, the world’s first decentralized digital currency.

But who was this person, or perhaps group, that brought to life the idea of a peer-to-peer digital cash system? And why did they disappear without a trace?

In 2008, a mysterious figure by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper in the cryptographers email list.

This wasn’t just any document but the blueprint for the future of money.

Bitcoin promised to disrupt the traditional banking system by creating a peer-to-peer electronic cash system that would operate without any central authority.

This whitepaper, published under the alias Satoshi Nakamoto, outlined the vision for a new kind of currency: one that wasn’t governed by governments or banks.

Fast forward to 2009 and Satoshi Nakamoto releases the Bitcoin software, and the network is up and running. The first-ever Bitcoin transaction takes place between Satoshi and early adopter Hal Finney.

Over the years, Bitcoin’s value began to rise, and Satoshi Nakamoto’s creation became a global sensation.

But, as quickly as Satoshi appeared on the scene, this anonymous person vanished.

In 2011, after years of developing the project and engaging with the community, Nakamoto suddenly stopped communicating.

The forums went quiet.

The emails stopped.

The person behind the Bitcoin revolution disappeared without a word, leaving behind a digital currency worth today trillions of dollars.

In his final communication, an email exchange with developer Mike Hearn he expressed how he had moved on to different things.

Why did Satoshi vanish?

Was it because of the increasing attention and scrutiny Bitcoin was starting to attract?

Was it because of fears of potential legal issues as governments and regulators began looking at cryptocurrencies more seriously?

Or was there something more sinister at play?

Satoshi’s disappearance has led to an avalanche of theories.

Some believe Satoshi simply wanted Bitcoin to thrive independently.

Others speculate that Satoshi Nakamoto could have been a pseudonym for a group of people.

Perhaps even an organization like the NSA which was also responsible for the creation of the cryptography Bitcoin uses for mining (SHA256), or perhaps a collective of cryptographers who united to create the future of digital money.

And then, there’s one more issue.

Satoshi’s fortune — the Bitcoins Satoshi’s CPUs had amassed.

By running the software for the first two years of Bitcoin’s existence Satoshi mined over 1 million Bitcoins which in 2010 were worth nothing, but today their valuation is roughly $100 billion.

These coins have never moved but remain unspent, making it difficult even to locate the addresses.

Is Satoshi still out there, watching as the fortune grows?

The person behind Bitcoin apparently did not intend to be found but the untouched $100 Billion fortune may be linked to an even darker truth.

Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s creator may not be with us today since all of this fortune was never moved.

To this day, Nakamoto’s identity remains one of the greatest mysteries in the crypto domain and the entire world.

We will probably never know who Satoshi Nakamoto was, but we have with us his creation to guide us towards financial freedom, a long term dream for cryptographers and freedom fighters that materialized with Bitcoin.

Part II: Was John McAfee Whacked?

John McAfee, the magnate who gave the world the first antivirus software, was a man who thrived on controversy.

Whether it was his wild opinions, his feuds with governments, or his unapologetic lifestyle, McAfee was never afraid to live on the edge.

But his involvement in the cryptocurrency world added yet another dark and enigmatic layer to his already mysterious persona.

McAfee became a vocal advocate for Bitcoin, and later privacy-focused coins and Bitcoin Cash, championing decentralized finance and digital privacy as the future of freedom.

But his involvement was far from conventional.

During the 2017 cryptocurrency frenzy, McAfee’s infamous “Coin of the Day” tweets became a daily spectacle.

While some saw them as reckless promotions fueling pump-and-dump schemes, others embraced the chaos, turning McAfee into a meme-like figure who defined one of crypto’s most entertaining years.

McAfee’s life was a roller coaster, a whirlwind of brilliance, controversy, and chaos.

Scandals, murder, accusations, and relentless legal battles dominated his later years.

He faced tax evasion charges in the United States, evaded authorities across borders, and clashed with the law in multiple countries.

Through it all, his larger-than-life persona remained intact, his statements growing bolder with every appearance.

In 2021, McAfee was arrested in Spain, facing extradition to the U.S. on charges of tax evasion.

But nobody expected this outcome when news emerged about McAfee found dead in his prison cell.

The official cause? Suicide.

Still, immediately details emerged pointing to something way more sinister.

Just months before his death, McAfee had taken to social media to declare that he would never take his own life. If he were found dead in such circumstances, he insisted, it would be the result of foul play.

He even posted a photo of a fresh tattoo on his arm that read “WHACKD,” a grim warning that if his “suicide” made headlines, people should know he didn’t go willingly.

In October 2020 while in prison he tweeted:

I am content in here,” “I have friends, the food is good. All is well. Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine.

For many, McAfee’s death looked suspicious.

Was it really suicide, or something orchestrated?

John McAfee had lived his life in the public eye, always making enemies along the way, but also having the aura of a leader, attracting people and rising in reputation.

Despite the negative publicity, and the character assassination by mainstream news, McAfee was always gentle, a marketing genius, responding with kindness and inspiring others.

Perhaps his wacky way of life, and most importantly his drug addictions never allowed him to reach true greatness and achieve his full potential.

To this day, McAfee’s death remains one of the most controversial events in the crypto world.

Was it suicide, or did someone silence him to prevent him from revealing secrets?

Anyone who knew McAfee would agree that the very method of his alleged suicide was completely out of character.

If anything, for a man who thrived on the spotlight, a quiet, unremarkable end was the last thing he’d ever choose.

Part III: Mircea Popescu

Mircea Popescu was a name that few knew, but those who did spoke of him with reverence and caution.

He was dubbed the father of Bitcoin toxicity, a title that probably is an understatement.

Popescu was a Bitcoin billionaire, an early adopter, a visionary who understood its true potential before most.

He was announced dead in 2021, during a trip to Costa Rica, with the official statement being drowning while swimming.

He was one of the first people to see Bitcoin not just as a digital currency but as a financial revolution.

He created the early exchange MPEX, which helped him amass an incredible fortune, reportedly controlling over 1 million BTC.

Maybe this estimate was an exaggeration; maybe the amount was lower, with others suggesting 300,000 Bitcoins.

Whatever the amount, it is possible he took the keys to his fortune to his grave.

But to say that Popescu’s public persona was controversial would be an understatement.

He thrived on challenging the status quo, often through highly provocative means.

His ideas were widely criticized.

Popescu was known for his outspoken critiques of the crypto establishment, often mocking those who followed the hype without understanding the technology.

A fascinating person — misunderstood but also very provocative.

His stance was against changing anything in Bitcoin, and at one point, he even threatened to kill Andreas Antonopoulos with his bare hands for suggesting scaling was necessary.

As the years went by, he became more reclusive, continuing to hold large amounts of Bitcoin while often railing against other cryptocurrencies and the people involved with them.

Some even suggested he could be behind the infamous Ethereum DAO hack.

In 2021, Popescu’s life came to an abrupt and mysterious end.

He was reportedly found drowned in Costa Rica, and his body discovered on the beach.

But something didn’t add up. Popescu’s death was sudden, and there were no clear answers as to how it happened.

Questions about his death quickly circulated.

With him were three women, reportedly voluntarily.

Could Popescu have been targeted by those who wanted to control his vast Bitcoin fortune?

Was it an accident — or was there a larger conspiracy at play?

And what happened to the vast fortune of Bitcoins Popescu was rumored to control?

Are his coins locked forever, or did someone manage to access his keys and control his vast fortune?

An amount of Bitcoins large enough to challenge decision-making processes, block changes, and alter the course of the world’s leading cryptocurrency.

Popescu’s legacy, along with his vast fortune, remains a mystery — one that may never be solved.

Part IV: Gerald Cotten - The Man Who Took $250 Million to the Grave

In 2018, Gerald Cotten, the founder of QuadrigaCX, died suddenly while traveling in India, becoming the focus of one of the most mysterious events in crypto history, not just because of his passing, but because of what followed.

QuadrigaCX, a thriving platform for trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, had built a reputation for reliability.

Surprisingly, Cotten was the only one with access to the exchange’s cold wallets holding customers’ funds.

It is estimated that $250 million worth of cryptocurrency became inaccessible, leaving thousands of users unable to retrieve their funds.

The strangeness didn’t end there. Questions arose:

Was Cotten really dead, or had he faked his death to vanish with the money?

Officially, Cotten reportedly died from complications related to Crohn’s disease while in India.

However, there was no autopsy, his name was misspelled on the death certificate, and his funeral featured a closed casket (details that fueled speculation).

In the years that followed, investigations revealed QuadrigaCX was operating as a scam.

Cotten had been using fake identities to move customers’ funds to other exchanges, and much of the $250 million in deposits had evaporated.

Only digits on the users’ screens remained, neither fiat nor crypto.

The exchange used wash trading practices to inflate its volumes relying in non-existent reserves, to make it seem more successful than it actually was.

Additionally, Cotten transferred tens of millions of dollars to offshore accounts — money that has yet to be traced.

A total of 75,000 customers lost funds in what became one of the largest scandals in cryptocurrency history.

Even Cotten’s wife has come under scrutiny, though she maintains she had no involvement in his dealings.

To this day, the mystery remains unsolved. Many question the legitimacy of Cotten’s death, suspecting it may have been a carefully planned escape.

Was his death a tragic accident, or part of an elaborate scheme to defraud those who trusted him?

Part V: Ruja Ignatova — The Crypto Queen

Ruja Ignatova. the one and only Crypto Queen. In 2017 she stood at the peak of her empire.

The charismatic Bulgarian entrepreneur promised to revolutionize finance with her cryptocurrency, OneCoin.

More than a million people entrusted their life savings to what became one of history’s most notorious Ponzi schemes, collectively losing $4 billion to the scammers.

Ruja captivated audiences with her lavish lifestyle and eloquent speeches, promoting OneCoin as the “Bitcoin killer” destined to revolutionize the cryptocurrency market.

But behind the glamour a dark truth lay: OneCoin wasn’t a real cryptocurrency.

Unlike Bitcoin, OneCoin had no functioning blockchain.

It was a scam built on fabricated numbers on a centralized database.

Investors believed they were purchasing tokens that would skyrocket in value.

In reality, they were buying into a lie.

Regulators worldwide launched investigations, and whistle-blowers exposed the fraudulent operation.

In October 2017, as scrutiny intensified, Ruja Ignatova vanished without a trace.

While it’s likely she was trying to flee justice, her disappearance has become shrouded in intrigue, hinting at a darker and more sinister truth.

In 2019, Ruja Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin, was arrested and cooperated with authorities, but her whereabouts remained a mystery.

In early 2023 new reports surfaced this time claiming that Ruja was assassinated back in November 2018 on the orders of Bulgarian crime boss Christoforos “Taki” Amanatidis.

Allegedly, her body was dismembered and disposed of in the Ionian Sea.

This information reportedly came from a drunken relative of Taki, who confessed to an undercover officer. The cop was later found dead at his home, but officers discovered a report containing details about Ruja’s fate.

Taki, the Bulgarian mafia boss, is believed to have used the OneCoin scheme for money laundering and was said to have ties to Ruja even before OneCoin.

Some suggest he killed her after she failed to repay his share of the OneCoin Ponzi proceeds, though the truth remains unknown.

Was Ruja Ignatova silenced by those she betrayed, or did she disappear with billions, crafting the ultimate escape?

The Crypto Queen’s fate is still unknown, but her name remains a symbol of one of history’s most infamous financial scams.

Part VI: The Mysterious Death of Nikolai Mushegian

Nikolai Mushegian was a brilliant innovator with a profound legacy, contributing to some of the most significant advancements in the field of cryptocurrency.

A true pioneer, he co-founded MakerDAO, developed the DAI stablecoin, and identified a critical vulnerability that led to the infamous DAO exploit. He also contributed to Wrapped Ether, co-authored the Balancer white paper, and later created RAI and RICO, innovative stablecoins that pushed the boundaries of decentralized finance.

Known for his intelligence and unconventional thinking, Mushegian earned deep respect in crypto circles, yet he remained enigmatic and intensely private.

He often seemed weighed down by the darker side of the crypto industry.

Outspoken about corruption, greed, and manipulation within the space, he frequently voiced his concerns on social media, sometimes in cryptic and unsettling terms.

Then, in 2022, a chilling turn of events sent shockwaves through the crypto world.

On the morning of October 28, Mushegian posted a cryptic tweet where he expressed concerns about being targeted by a covert group involved in illegal activities.

He claimed that someone might try to frame him by planting evidence and expressed deep concern for his safety.

The tweet ended with a grim statement, saying he believed he would be tortured to death.

To many, the tweet seemed like the ramblings of a troubled mind — just another strange post lost in the noise of social media. But only hours later, the unimaginable happened:

Nikolai Mushegian was found dead, his body washed ashore on Ashford Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The timing of his death, so soon after his ominous tweet, transformed what initially appeared to be a paranoid outburst into a chilling mystery.

Was it a tragic accident, the result of personal struggles, or something far more sinister as his final tweet was expressing.

Authorities ruled his death a drowning and found no evidence of foul play.

His family and those close to him revealed that Mushegian had been struggling with mental health issues and likely took his own life.

Even so, the line between coincidence, personal struggles, and darker possibilities remains unsettlingly unclear.

Mushegian’s death has become one of the crypto world’s most haunting mysteries — a visionary who spoke of shadowy forces, only to pass away hours later, leaving behind questions that may never be answered.

Part VII: Countless More Mysterious Deaths

The mysterious deaths surrounding the cryptocurrency world read like a dark thriller.

From Autumn Radtke, the CEO of First Meta, to Matthew Mellon, an early Ripple investor, and Bob Lee, the visionary behind Cash App, the list of tragedies continues to grow, often blending suspicion, greed, and violence.

Some cases seem like retaliation for scams that defrauded investors, while others remain wrapped in unanswered questions.

Tiantian Kullander, a billionaire and co-founder of the DeFi-focused Amber group, is one of these chilling examples. At just 30 years old, he died suddenly in his sleep, only a month after the controversial death of crypto entrepreneur Nikolai Mushegian.

Kullander’s death came at a time when his company was set to raise $100 million, adding to the intrigue surrounding his untimely demise.

One particularly alarming case involves 25-year-old Aiden Pleterski, a self-proclaimed ‘Crypto King,’ who faces allegations of defrauding investors.

Pleterski lived a lavish lifestyle, flaunting his crypto success on social media while mismanaging $40 million in investor funds.

Apparently, only 2% of the funds were ever invested in cryptocurrency, with over $16 million used to finance his personal expenses.

After his company declared bankruptcy, accusations of running a Ponzi scheme surfaced, and lawsuits piled up.

However, some defrauded investors took justice into their own hands. In December 2022, Pleterski was abducted, beaten, and tortured, forced to admit his actions on video and deliver $3 million within days.

The abductor, later arrested, was revealed to be an investor and a representative of other victims’ interests.

Most shocking of all is the case of Fernando Pérez Algaba, a flamboyant cryptocurrency influencer with nearly 900,000 Instagram followers.

On July 7, 2023, his dismembered body was discovered in a suitcase near a river in Buenos Aires. Just days earlier, he had posted cryptic warnings about “evil people.”

His brutal murder, left the crypto world in horror and raised countless questions that remain unanswered.

Epilogue

The world of cryptocurrency is as volatile, as it is lucrative.

A place where fortunes are made and lost in an instant, and the line between success and peril is razor thin.

The legend of Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, only adds to this intrigue.

While his vast fortune remains untouched many speculate his anonymity and possibly his death were intentional.

Yet all these mysteries are just the tip of the iceberg.

Murders, scams, vanishings, and threats abound often leaving a trail of unanswered questions.

Cryptocurrency has created immense wealth, but for some it has come at the ultimate cost.

The dark stories surrounding this digital frontier may never be fully uncovered.

While the future of cryptocurrency is uncertain one truth endures.

It’s story will always be shaped by the tension between extraordinary promise and peril.

This story is my original creation, and I used AI to refine and enhance certain parts while keeping the core entirely mine.

Also Watch

Explore the history of Bitcoin and the missed opportunity for humanity to liberate itself from financial totalitarianism. This video is an abridged version of Roger Ver’s Hijacking Bitcoin and provides valuable insight into the history and intentions behind these actions, if you’re interested in understanding the bigger picture.

👉Pantera Crypto on YouTube

👉The Crypto Kiosk Publication:

The Crypto Kiosk

👉 LinkTree (my links)

👉 Tipb.ch

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The Curse Of The Crypto Whales was originally published in The Crypto Kiosk on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.