I think you're reading too much into it. Leslie's paper was published in the 1980s and the way Vitalik refers to it emphasizes that the algorithm has been known for a long time so it makes sense that he would reference 38-year-old research vs a forum post from 8 years ago.
Having said that, I appreciate the new conspiracy theory
let me be more detailed in explaining my thoughts.
after trustnodes.com article mentioned Vitalik as the inventor of the 99% fault tolerant consensus he emended it on Twitter.
I did NOT invent 99% fault tolerant consensus; Leslie Lamport did [and Satoshi Nakamoto too but both are the same person]. I just wrote an explainer and adapted it to a blockchain context [which already did Satoshi Nakamoto but as I be sure both are the same person]. Please fix, Trustnodes.
*text in bold was added to the original.
in other words: it might be Vitalik Buterin is sure Leslie Lamport and Satoshi Nakamoto are the same person because a reference to Satoshi Nakamoto in this topic (99 percent fault tolerance in consensus) is completely missing.
I both trust Vitalik is:
a) familiar with most of the
publications of Leslie Lamport because every serious computer scientist should be familiar with it and
b) Vitalik don't want the fame which doesn't belong to him and in the blockchain context Satoshi Nakamoto mentioned the solution first.
why should he completely ignore the reference to Satoshi? because he is not aware of Satoshi already mentioned it in the forum where Vitalik was also heavily around?
no, the only explanation to me is at the time of his writing in his mind the reference to Satoshi was already made if he mentioned the reference to Leslie.please also remember as Vitalik debunked Craig Steven Wright claiming to be the real Satoshi? GENIUS! and maybe he had already an assumption who Satoshi could be or shortly after -->
https://youtu.be/2qLI3VIHuKU?t=1m2sVitalik is constantly fighting Craig Steven Wright and
calls him in public a fraud. why would you lose energy on that again and again and with the fear of being sued by CSW?
just in the case you know who the real Satoshi Nakamoto is.