TLDR:
- Jack Dorsey’s early cypherpunk background and cryptographic interests from 1996 align with Bitcoin’s creation timeline
- Key Bitcoin dates coincide with Dorsey family birthdays – first transaction on his mother’s birthday, last Satoshi-mined block on his father’s birthday
- Source code timestamps and vanity addresses contain potential references to Dorsey, including “jD2m” possibly referring to his San Francisco address
- Satoshi’s GMX email hack in 2014 revealed a connection to St. Louis, Missouri – Dorsey’s hometown
- Timeline of Satoshi’s disappearance aligns with Dorsey’s increased responsibilities at Twitter and Square
A new investigation has uncovered multiple connections between Twitter and Block founder Jack Dorsey and Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Financial news website deBanked’s president Seán Murray presented evidence on February 15, 2024, suggesting Dorsey’s potential role in creating the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The investigation reveals Dorsey’s early involvement in cryptography and cypherpunk culture dating back to 1996. While studying computer science at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR), Dorsey was one of approximately 1,300 confirmed cypherpunks and wore a t-shirt featuring the work of Hashcash inventor Adam Back.
WHY JACK DORSEY IS SATOSHI NAKAMOTO
Jack Dorsey was:
1 of ~1,300 confirmed cypherpunks in 1996 (his UMR email)
Wore an Adam Back t-shirt in the UMR yearbook
UMR students were called Miners
Was a CompSci & Math major with an interest in crypto
Member of ACM in 1997 to at…
— Seán Murray (@financeguy74) February 15, 2025
Several key dates in Bitcoin’s history align with Dorsey family birthdays. The first-ever Bitcoin transaction occurred on January 11, 2009 – Dorsey’s mother’s birthday. The last block believed to be mined by Satoshi happened on March 5, 2010 – his father’s birthday. Additionally, Satoshi’s Bitcoin forum registration occurred on November 19, Dorsey’s own birthday.
Technical analysis of Bitcoin’s original source code revealed timestamps set to exactly 4 AM, a time that Murray claims appeared in Dorsey’s early Twitter profile. The code also included vanity addresses with potential connections to Dorsey, including one beginning with “jD2m” – which Murray suggests could reference Dorsey’s former residence at 2 Mint Plaza in San Francisco.
A 2014 hack of Satoshi’s email account led to an attempted extortion, with the hacker claiming knowledge of a connection to St. Louis, Missouri – Dorsey’s hometown. Additional evidence shows Satoshi’s IP address was traced to California during an IRC login in January 2009, where Dorsey was based with Twitter at the time.
The investigation points to Dorsey’s early writings about creating “a mark without leaving a trace” in 2001. His documented interest in cryptography, pseudonyms, and alternative currency systems predates Bitcoin’s creation by several years.
Murray’s research highlights Dorsey’s extensive programming knowledge, including proficiency in C, Python, Java, Perl, PHP, and other languages used in Bitcoin’s development. The investigation also notes Dorsey’s continued presence on cypherpunk mailing lists through 2000.
The timing of Satoshi’s disappearance from the Bitcoin forum coincides with increased demands on Dorsey’s time. Satoshi’s last forum login was on December 13, 2010, shortly before Twitter received a court order regarding WikiLeaks information. Dorsey, while not CEO at the time, remained on Twitter’s board.
Dorsey & Bitcoin
In recent years, Dorsey has maintained a close connection to Bitcoin through his companies. Square (now Block) began accepting Bitcoin in 2014, and Dorsey has repeatedly expressed support for the cryptocurrency’s development.
When asked directly about being Satoshi in a 2020 interview with Lex Fridman, Dorsey responded: “No, and if I were, would I tell you?” This response differs from other suspected Satoshi candidates who have explicitly denied the connection.
In 2022, Dorsey began wearing Satoshi-themed clothing in public appearances, including at the Super Bowl. At a 2023 conference, he stated that “Bitcoin and Satoshi in 2009 was a combination of my childhood and my curiosity and everything that I aspired to be.”
Critics of the theory point to inconsistencies, particularly regarding censorship. Some argue that Satoshi, as a creator of uncensored money, would not have later supported information censorship, as occurred on Twitter under government pressure.
The investigation also examines Dorsey’s friendship with actress Alyssa Milano, who wrote novels featuring a character living a double life behind a famous pseudonym, which Murray suggests could be based on Dorsey.
BitMEX Research has questioned parts of the theory, noting difficulties in definitively identifying Satoshi-mined blocks due to degradation of the “patoshi pattern” over time.
> Satoshi's last mined block was on Jack's dad's birthday (5/3/10)
How do you know Satoshi's last mined block, when the patoshi pattern gradually degrades over time?
— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) February 16, 2025
Murray has published 15 chapters of evidence, with supporting documentation for 10 of them. As of February 2024, Dorsey has not publicly addressed or denied these specific claims.
