Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, recently shared a humorous theory about how Bitcoin may have been created. During an interview with Turkish influencers, Zhao joked that the cryptocurrency might not have been made by a person at all, but rather by AI that traveled back in time from the future.
"It might be software coming back through time. It’s hard to imagine now, but it could be possible," Zhao said, as quoted by PointPlace.
Although he said it in a light-hearted way, it caught a lot of attention. Zhao made it clear that he does not know who the real creator of Bitcoin — known as Satoshi Nakamoto — is.
"I do not know who he is. I've never interacted with them. I know people who did in the early days... but I don't know who he is," Zhao stated.
Zhao also explained why he believes the creator has been able to stay hidden for so long. He noted that if a group of people had created Bitcoin, it would have been much harder to keep their identity a secret. In his opinion, it is more likely that a single person was behind it, which made it easier to stay anonymous. He praised how well the creator managed to cover their tracks and remain a mystery even after so many years.
Over time, many people have been named as possible candidates for being Satoshi Nakamoto. Some of the names that often come up include Hal Finney, Nick Szabo, and Len Sassaman, all of whom were involved in early work around cryptography and online privacy. Adam Back, the CEO of Blockstream, has also been mentioned.
However, none of these theories have been proven, and the mystery continues. In 2024, an HBO documentary claimed that Canadian Bitcoin developer, Peter Todd, might be Satoshi, but most people in the crypto community did not believe this claim.
Zhao's idea about a time-travelling AI adds another strange but interesting theory to the many stories already surrounding Bitcoin's origins. While it is likely just a joke, it shows how little we still know about who or what created Bitcoin.
Even after more than 15 years, the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains one of the biggest secrets in the world of technology. As Bitcoin becomes more important around the world, many people remain curious about the mind behind it.
