Billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel, known for his involvement in PayPal, has recently made headlines for hinting that he may have met the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, at a financial cryptography conference in Anguilla 23 years ago.
Thiel’s connection to the PayPal Mafia, E-Gold founders, Balaji Srinivasan, and Elon Musk make it plausible that he may have crossed paths with Nakamoto. However, the extent of their connection remains uncertain.
Thiel and Srinivasan have expressed a mutual interest in Seasteading and Bitcoin’s potential to avoid regulation by requiring a sovereign nation. Srinivasan has recently wagered that Bitcoin will reach $1 million, while Thiel has publicly demonstrated his distrust of the US dollar by tearing up $100 bills while berating the banking system at the 2022 Bitcoin Miami conference.
The financial cryptography conference that Thiel attended could have offered abundant inspiration for Nakamoto’s Bitcoin vision. Papers presented at the conference explored topics like electronic cash and efficient electronic cash with restricted privacy. Thiel posits that Nakamoto must have gleaned insights from E-Cash, such as circumventing formal organizational structures and adopting MIT’s Open Source License for Bitcoin.
While some dismiss Thiel’s assertions, others highlight reports of him selling his Bitcoin holdings. Regardless of his current involvement in cryptocurrency, Thiel’s early involvement in the Financial Cryptography community and continued criticism of banks make his potential connection to Nakamoto an intriguing development