⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

Elon Musk May Be the Creator of Bitcoin, a Former SpaceX Intern Theorizes Could the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX have created the biggest cryptocurrency as well?

By Stephen J. Bronner

entrepreneur daily
Krisztian Bocsi | Getty Images

One of the key mysteries of Bitcoin -- which recently reached a jaw-dropping value of more than $9,000 -- is who exactly created the cryptocurrency. Satoshi Nakamoto is listed as the author of the original paper describing Bitcoin, but no actual person, or group, has come out to say they are Nakamoto.

Well, hold onto your hats, because Sahil Gupta, who says he was a software engineering intern at SpaceX, recently wrote a Medium post making a case that Satoshi Nakamoto is none other than Elon Musk.

Related: 11 Things You Need to Know About Bitcoin

What's Gupta's evidence for this claim? Nothing concrete, but his logic is relatively sound. The original 2008 Bitcoin paper was written by someone "with a deep understanding of economics and cryptography," which Gupta says Musk possesses. Musk is also a master of coding language C++, the language Bitcoin was written in, Gupta says.

"Experience aside, Elon is a self-taught polymath. He's repeatedly innovated across fields by reading books on a subject and applying the knowledge," Gupta writes. "It's how he built rockets, invented the Hyperloop (which he released to the world as a paper), and could have invented Bitcoin.

Gupta then points to this 2014 tweet from Musk as a possible coy confession that he created Bitcoin.

Related: 23 Weird Things We've Learned About Elon Musk

But, my favorite piece of Gupta's argument is this: "Would Elon choose a pseudonym that's an anagram for 'So a man took a shit?' Of course."

It's not much to go on, but it's certainly an interesting hypothesis. What do you think? Did Elon Musk create Bitcoin? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Stephen J. Bronner

Entrepreneur Staff

News Director

Stephen J. Bronner writes mostly about packaged foods. His weekly column is The Digest. He is very much on top of his email.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo

CFO Richard Galanti reveals that the price will stay the same — but only "for a while."

Business News

The Most Unexpectedly Popular Side Hustle of the Decade Has Low Startup Costs and High Markups

A new report shows that vending machines are a popular investment — and the industry is set to grow up to $3 billion by 2031.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.