[2017-11-27] Did Elon Musk Create Bitcoin? A Former SpaceX Employee Thinks So

[cybersofts]

Did Elon Musk Create Bitcoin? A Former SpaceX Employee Thinks So

Elon Musk is many things. A billionaire, a visionary, the owner of companies such as Tesla and SpaceX and overall one of the most inspiring and intriguing figures we have in business today. With this appeal comes a never-ending supply of rumors and fake news, from quitting Tesla to join a bitcoin startup, to being called national disgrace and thief.

Given the meteoric rise of mainstream cryptocurrency popularity, it should be no surprise that the elusive hunt for Satoshi, often referred to as the father of Bitcoin, has led to the theory that Elon Musk has been hiding a big secret from all of us. Sahil Gupta, a computer science student at Yale University and former intern at SpaceX, believes just this.

Why Elon Musk Could Be Satoshi

Gupta, who interned at SpaceX in 2015, provided a few “oddball” ideas on why Musk is the probable founder of Bitcoin:

1. Technical capabilities: Bitcoin was written by someone with mastery of C++, a language Musk has utilized heavily at SpaceX. Musk’s 2013 Hyperloop paper also provided insight into his deep understanding of cryptography and economics.

2. Passion for solving global problems: Bitcoin was founded in 2008, the year of the global financial crisis and widespread distaste of banking in general. If there was a time to create a currency for the people, without bank intervention, this was it.

3. Relative silence on the issue: Musk has only been quoted speaking about Bitcoin a handful of times. He has publicly stated that he does not personally own any Bitcoin and even published this sneaky tweet when asked about cryptocurrencies:



4. Musk doesn’t need the money: Satoshi’s stash of unused Bitcoin was estimated at $700 million back in June 2016 when the price of one Bitcoin was $719. Going by today’s price, Satoshi’s Bitcoins are worth over $8 billion – less than half of Musk’s current estimated net worth of $19.7 billion.
Additional Supporting Arguments

One week before Gupta’s Medium post on Musk, another Medium blog was published with a theory that Musk invented Bitcoin for future use on Mars. As radical as this may sounds, the point around Paypal in this article was relevant. Musk has already revolutionized digital currency his founding role in Paypal, which he sold to eBay in 2002. The author claims Musk is under a non-compete from this deal, leaving him to secrecy about his role in Bitcoin.

Arguments Against This Theory

   - 2008 was Musk’s “worst year”: 2008 was a notable year for Musk, who publicly claimed it was his worst year ever due to early challenges with SpaceX and Tesla and his personal finances and relationships in jeopardy. One could argue that working on Bitcoin was probably a challenge not even Musk could handle at this point.
   - Musk lives in the spotlight: When the subject of Musk being Satoshi was brought up on Reddit in 2016, the Reddit community had a field day. Popular opinion is that Musk could never keep a secret this large and would have stepped in already to combat bank and regulatory attempts to destroy the cryptocurrency.
   - Musk’s public statements can be negative: When asked about Bitcoin in this interview, Musk was notably careful about how he responded. Musk called Bitcoin “probably a good thing” but referenced its main use as a facilitator to illegal transactions.

Arguments for and against this theory create a compelling topic nonetheless. Whether or not Musk created Bitcoin is yet to be seen, but it is technically possible. As Gupta puts it, even if Musk is not Satoshi, “thanks for the Tesla Roadster”.

Source: https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/elon-musk-create-bitcoin-former-spacex-employee-thinks/

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[Wekkel]

Musk would surely attract quite a few people if he would speak positively about cryptocurrencies. But perhaps it is better that cryptocurrencies grow on their own instead of as derivatives of the Tesla stock price 

[sonawer]

it is more like an example of fanatical love than a fundamental analysis. The "evidence" given here is akin to the search for witches in the Middle Ages by the presence of a black cat)

[odolvlobo]

The article is stupid. Don't bother reading it.

[cr1776]

...
Musk doesn’t need the money
...

Yeah, he is excellent at getting subsidies from taxpayers, so why would he need money that he earned by ‘being Satoshi’?

All kidding aside, anyone who thinks he is Satoshi hasn’t thought about it logically: Bitcoin’s libertarian foundation is 180 degrees from Musk’s “let’s get everything subsidized” philosophy.

[BitHodler]

It's almost embarrassing how there are so many noobs taking everything for granted on social media. Things get even more embarrassing when you see news sites pick this up and report about it.

At least people have a decent level of respect and appreciation for Elon Musk, which can't be said about Craig Wright who has been making a complete fool of himself, and that several times in a row.

These kind of things will always keep popping up because the higher the price goes up, the more value satoshi's supposed stash will be worth ~ the hunt for satoshi will be continued......

[abaidudez]

I am still not convince. But the articles is very interesting. I'm still thinking who really create bitcoin BTC. But Sahil Gupta idolize his boss. He really like Musk to make an article linking his boss to bitcoinBTC. In his mind, he is really filled with great things that he knows about Musk. But his theory can support it.
Makes him to think that way. Each person has their own ideas and guess. Guess about the answer of the question "Who really create bitcoin BTC?".
We know is his name is Satoshi Nakamoto
But we don't really know if that's his real name.
Who knows in the future it will be revealed.

[Alex Moore]

 
Mask has already disproved this information in his Twitter. We are ready to look for another person who could be named Satoshi)

[Terraformer]

From the technical point of view Bitcoin and blockchain technology could have been implemented in early 80-th. Maybe Elon Mask was the person who pushed and sponsored research in this sector, we`ll never know, he is just the most famous fhilantropist, but that did not mean it was him.

[saidlik]

I think, who ever created the Bitcion will not came to public with this information. He is a billionare now, so why would he (she).