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The probability of Len Sassaman being revealed as Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has plummeted following recent comments by his wife, Meredith L. Patterson.
With a major HBO documentary looming, speculation that Sassaman was Nakamoto initially caused a surge in betting markets.
Patterson’s firm denial, alongside the revelation that the documentary producers did not consult her, has cast serious doubt on the theory, driving Sassaman’s odds down to 14%.
Polymarket, a prediction platform where users place bets on events, saw Sassaman’s odds soar to 55% over the weekend before dropping dramatically after Patterson’s interview with DLNews.
This documentary, airing at 02:00 UTC on Wednesday (9 p.m. Tuesday ET), is expected to reignite debate over the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, a puzzle that has stumped the tech and crypto world for over a decade.
Patterson’s firm denial leads to market shakeup
Meredith L. Patterson was vocal in her rejection of claims that her late husband, Len Sassaman, was the man behind Bitcoin’s elusive pseudonym.
“Long story short, f*ck em,” she said during an interview.
She also highlighted the fact that the documentary producers had failed to contact her for verification, casting further doubt on the reliability of the Sassaman-Nakamoto connection.
This denial caused a significant shift in the betting landscape, with bettors now significantly less confident in the Sassaman theory.
Patterson’s comments also sparked conversation about the ethical responsibilities of prediction markets, with many questioning whether accurate outcomes can truly be predicted when vital information remains unverified or ignored.
Memecoins and social media buzz as speculation mounts
Despite Patterson’s denial, the early speculation that Sassaman could be Nakamoto triggered a surge of interest in crypto circles.
A wave of memecoins—some even named after Sassaman’s cat—began trending on various blockchains.
These tokens quickly gained traction on social media, highlighting the intersection between pop culture and cryptocurrency, particularly in meme-driven markets.
Some individuals went so far as to contact Patterson directly, seeking confirmation of Sassaman’s identity, and were given an address on the Solana blockchain for token donations in response.
This frenzy around Sassaman-related memecoins demonstrates how speculative narratives can gain significant momentum in the crypto space, even when later debunked.
Other contenders in the running
Len Sassaman is not the only contender for Satoshi Nakamoto.
Bitcoin advocate Samsow Mow put forward the name of Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and an early Bitcoin developer, claiming he would be revealed as Nakamoto in the documentary.
Spoiler: It’s @adam3us.
Back has since dismissed this claim, calling it a joke and tweeting that he has no idea who Nakamoto is.
Nevertheless, Mow is expected to make an appearance in the HBO feature.
Another contender briefly in the lead on Polymarket was Nick Szabo, a renowned pioneer of smart contracts.
Szabo’s odds spiked in the late hours of Monday in the US but fell again as Sassaman reclaimed the top spot, albeit briefly.
Despite these fluctuating odds, speculation continues, with no clear frontrunner for the identity of Bitcoin’s creator.
Millions bet as Polymarket heats up
The intense speculation surrounding the HBO documentary has led to an unprecedented amount of betting on Polymarket.
By Tuesday afternoon (Hong Kong time), over $13 million had been wagered.
Source: Polymarket
As anticipation builds ahead of the documentary’s airing, the question of whether the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto will finally be revealed remains at the forefront of both the tech world and prediction markets.
Regardless of the outcome, the speculation surrounding Nakamoto’s identity continues to fuel a multimillion-dollar industry of predictions, memecoins, and blockchain hype.
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