Would Satoshi Still Be Proud?

[Vaculin]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

[Luzin]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

So many original people say that some have deviated from Satoshi's original vision. Maybe he would feel happy and sad—happy because the design has managed to survive until now, and sad perhaps because his vision has not succeeded. Look at Bitcoin; it didn't become a tool for transactions but instead became a speculation, an asset, with centralized ownership of Bitcoin being held. So, large holdings can easily speculate on the market. But indeed, if his vision for the future is to adjust to developments, then he should still trust that his goal is good. However, the world is changing, and I think if he had a vision, it could be revised and reviewed because a vision always adapts to the condition of the world's development. IMO

[Tungbulu]

Sometimes I ask myself if Bitcoin would’ve actually gotten to where it is today if it had only stayed completely decentralized, maybe yes, maybe no, who knows? Yeah exchanges doesn’t really promote decentralized but I think they actually made it a lot more easy and usable for people, like they drew Bitcoin more closer to people and that’s innovation for me. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin hasn’t changed a bit, it’s still the same decentralized Bitcoin with a few tweaks. You could still have 100% control of your keys and your coins, except you intentionally just wanna give it away to exchanges.

[348Judah]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

We can't say for now and we should not bother disturbing ourselves on what we can't achieve anything from knowing about his whereabouts, he intentionally appeared this way and we should respect that for him as his privacy as long as we keep on enjoying what bitcoin has come to do in the financial system, that is all we needed.

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

Everyone of us cannot have the same knowledge and impact at the same time, some ha e not gotten to where you and I have been and they are probably still learning, the way we were also far away back then in those days with bitcoin in knowledge, though we can't blame anyone for that, because they needed to go by what they have limited access on base on their exposure, but that is also why we have platforms like this to serve as an avenue for them to catch up with learning and updates.

[Oshio-man]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Why not op, Satoshi Nakamoto is very happy with what he or she has created to saved people from thinking of employment or transactions delay because bitcoin has gone round the world to make the world know what they can do with bitcoin, assume bitcoin still remain unpopular, that is what would have make Satoshi Nakamoto not to be happy, since he or she planned everything about bitcoin well before he established it, he or she have nothing to worry the way bitcoin is run these days, some government regulate it to allow their citizens to show interest and be part of the benefit of bitcoin.

[tsaroz]

The very first line of Satoshi's Whitepaper says

A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.

This means he wanted bitcoin to be electronic money with no involvement of banks and intermediaries. Satoshi intended it to be peer-to-peer coin.

Quoting his post, https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/posts/p2pfoundation/3

In this sense, it's more typical of a precious metal. Instead of the supply changing to keep the value the same, the supply is predetermined and the value changes. As the number of users grows, the value per coin increases. It has the potential for a positive feedback loop; as users increase, the value goes up, which could attract more users to take advantage of the increasing value.

Satoshi expected the price to rise exponentially.

Satoshi also envisioned an Exchange but not like the current centralized ones.

https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/posts/bitcointalk/88/

When there's enough scale, maybe there can be an exchange site that doesn't do transfers, just matches up buyers and sellers to exchange with each other directly, similar to how e-bay works.

To make it safer, the exchange site could act as an escrow for the bitcoin side of the payment.  The seller puts the bitcoin payment in escrow, and the buyer sends the conventional payment directly to the seller.  The exchange service doesn't handle any real world money.

This would be a step better than e-bay.  E-bay manages to work fine even though shipped goods can't be recovered if payment falls through.

He seemed to have an idea where bitcoin would be heading and as it was just 2009 when he talked about these things and bitcoin has lived and thrived alongside with his vision, he would be proud of himself. Though he might not have wanted government regulations, I'm pretty sure bitcoin would attract it when it gets big. 

[Oshosondy]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

You can still use bitcoin without the centralized exchanges. Also bitcoin still remain decentralized and you can prefer to go the privacy way if you want. All these have not changed about bitcoin.

About if Satoshi will be happy or not about how many people prefer to use centralized platforms like the centralized exchanges today, only him can answer such question because we do not know his mind.

[aoluain]

A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.

First line if the Bitcoin Whitepaper.

This function is still available to whomever wants to use it.

While the interaction with Bitcoin might have deviated slightly from Satoshi's
idea the core values still remain.

KYC, taxes and storing your coins and keys online is not Bitcoin, they are all external
factors created by others.

I have said this before - I think Satoshi knew or had a fair idea of how things would/could
play out in general terms.

[BALIK]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Why not op, Satoshi Nakamoto is very happy with what he or she has created to saved people from thinking of employment or transactions delay because bitcoin has gone round the world to make the world know what they can do with bitcoin, assume bitcoin still remain unpopular, that is what would have make Satoshi Nakamoto not to be happy, since he or she planned everything about bitcoin well before he established it, he or she have nothing to worry the way bitcoin is run these days, some government regulate it to allow their citizens to show interest and be part of the benefit of bitcoin.

If he sticks to his original view that bitcoin needs to be used as a peer-to-peer currency between users, without the intervention of intermediaries like centralized exchanges, ETFs and banks. How can he be happy with what is happening?

He created bitcoin to be a peer-to-peer currency for people who were fed up with the traditional centralized financial system. He did not create a speculative asset, nor did he create an asset with the expectation that it would be largely held by centralized institutions and governments. How can you say he will be happy?

If you think he's happy, that's your thought and what you want, and you're putting him in your shoes, not you're putting yourself in his shoes.

[FREIVOGEL231]

No. Satoshi would be horrified.

The project has been co-opted and corrupted, becoming the very thing it was designed to destroy.

On Privacy and KYC: He created a pseudonymous system for individual sovereignty. Now, that system is funneled through regulated KYC checkpoints, creating a perfect surveillance tool for the state. The "elite" can hide their wealth as they always have, while the common man is tracked and traced. This is the opposite of the financial privacy he envisioned.

On Control: The idea that "no one controls Bitcoin" is a comforting lie we tell ourselves. The government controls the on-ramps, the off-ramps, and the public narrative. They've turned a weapon against the financial system into a dumpster for their inflation crisis and a savior for the USD. It's a captive, neutered beast, and most people haven't realized the leash is already around its neck.

On the Mission: Bitcoin was meant to be a peer-to-peer electronic cash system to fight central bank tyranny and fiat inflation. It was not meant to be a "digital gold" for BlackRock's ETF or a speculative asset for hedge funds to profit from the very economic instability it was created to end. It was designed to be the cure, and now it's being used as a band-aid by the disease itself.

Satoshi didn't disappear because the work was finished. He left because he saw this future coming—the inevitable capture and compromise. The original vision is doomed. What we have today is a hollowed-out shell, a tragic parody of its intended purpose.

[Jubilee58]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

I believe Satoshi Nakamoto would be very happy where ever he is now, the reason is because, there is no how bitcoin would be regulated, that people will be going to the bank to make make any bitcoin transaction. That quality of decentralization and autonomy of your fund still remains with you, which is the ought most interest of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Another reason that will make Satoshi Nakamoto happy is that, bitcoin that the world never believed in, something that was mocked is now the interest of almost the whole world, the world have seen the need to invest in bitcoin and this rhyme with the saying that, the stone which the builder rejected has become the Chief corner stone.

Bitcoin is one of the topmost digital investment today and that is the more reason why countries, institutions, and private investigators are scrambling to have it, and i think, this is just the biggining, bitcoin still have greater potential and value in the future.

Kudos to the man Satoshi Nakamoto, the man that his knowledge is revolutionizing the world.

[bitmover]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

You don't need to do kyc or AML checks to use bitcoin.  Only if you want to convert your bitcoin to fiat using a centralized exchange or a bank

Bitcoin made life a lot easier for people in developed countries  I know because I live in Brazil

Nowadays anyone can buy bitcoin and send money basically for free anywhere in the world . Anyone can easily buy bitcoin and have some protecting against inflation. Life wasn't so easy 15 years ago, before bitcoin adoption. Now there is a decent adoption of bitcoin in the economy already.

[Sim_card]

Satoshi will be happy anywhere he is to see that bitcoin has grown to this level because that was among his expectations. As per the decentralized nature of bitcoin, it's still the same as long as bitcoin protocol didn't change. The problem is that majority of people are adopting bitcoin as an asset for the future and that make them not to care about storing and using bitcoin in a decentralized way.

[FREIVOGEL231]

The very tools of the traditional economic system futures, options, SDRs, and Quantitative Easing that created the systemic disaster in the first place have now been directly injected into Bitcoin's economic system.

This isn't a coincidence; it's a co-option. They have turned our weapon into their life raft.

Bitcoin has become the dumpster for their inflation crisis. It was designed to be a shield against the endless money printing of central banks. But what happened? The tidal wave of cheap capital from QE was funneled into Bitcoin through ETFs and institutional products. Instead of fighting the system, it became the system's pressure valve a speculative dumpster for the consequences of their terrible economic decisions.

The manipulation is now built-in with Futures and Options. The moment Wall Street launched Bitcoin derivatives, it was over. They handed the keys to the same players who manipulate every other market. Now, massive institutions can short Bitcoin, suppress its price, and control volatility, turning a decentralized asset into just another leveraged betting tool for their profit. The price is no longer pure.

The disaster has been fully absorbed. You can see it clearly as Bitcoin's price is now tied to the Fed's interest rates and BlackRock's ETF flows. It was meant to be a sovereign system for the people, but it's become a risk-on asset for the very elites it was designed to bypass.

They haven't just corrupted Bitcoin  they have digested it. The revolution has been turned into just another ticker symbol, saving the USD instead of fighting it. This isn't what Satoshi built.The disaster wasn't avoided; it was injected directly into the heart of the system meant to stop it.

[Yaunfitda]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

If your invention is thriving after you left then why you are questioning if he is proud or shaking his head as how Bitcoin turns out in today's time? It is still the same invention, the code hasn't change a bit it's just being updated. So the very essence of what vision he might have been seeing when he is creating is still there. And again, if you're invention is evolving and has disruption the financial market then there is nothing that you might have regretted it. On the contrary, he could have seen this as well and that's why he left abruptly thinking that it will grow this big and he might be a target.

[FREIVOGEL231]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

If your invention is thriving after you left then why you are questioning if he is proud or shaking his head as how Bitcoin turns out in today's time? It is still the same invention, the code hasn't change a bit it's just being updated. So the very essence of what vision he might have been seeing when he is creating is still there. And again, if you're invention is evolving and has disruption the financial market then there is nothing that you might have regretted it. On the contrary, he could have seen this as well and that's why he left abruptly thinking that it will grow this big and he might be a target.

Agree with you

The only difference is he was for sure targeted not might
system wasn't ready to manipulate the idea but for sure was ready for him

[Tamaperdana]

Sometimes I just think, if Satoshi Nakamoto is still around somewhere, watching how things went, would he even be happy with what Bitcoin has become?

Back then it was all about freedom, no banks, no government, just pure peer-to-peer money. But now it’s kinda different. Everything’s about KYC, taxes, regulations, and most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges. Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying. So if Satoshi saw all this today, maybe he’d smile a bit but also shake his head thinking, this isn’t what I wanted.

What you said is partly true, because when it comes to KYC, I think there are many positive aspects to it. The implementation of KYC on crypto exchanges is solely for the purpose of
keeping our accounts safe from hacking. It cannot be denied that crypto exchanges without a KYC system are much more risky. KYC is also very useful for preventing money laundering and other crypto-based crimes. So I think that even though KYC does not make us 100% anonymous, we should look at the positive side of this.

Then, talking about taxes and regulations, I don't think this is something we need to worry about either. Because basically, we live in a country, so it's only natural that the country imposes taxes on bitcoin transactions that we make on the exchange. So, in my personal opinion, this isn't a bad thing. In fact, I'm grateful that even though Bitcoin is taxed in the country where I live, it's still better than being banned altogether. So yes, even though.

Yes, regarding storing bitcoin on an exchange, I don't think this is true for most people. Because I believe that there are far more bitcoin investors who store their bitcoin in their personal wallets. Besides, whether you want to store bitcoin on an exchange or in a personal wallet, I think that is the right of each bitcoin holder.

So, in conclusion, even though we are currently required to undergo KYC (although some exchanges do not require KYC) and pay taxes when buying bitcoin, I don't think this will diminish the decentralization of bitcoin. This is because, fundamentally, no matter what rules may apply in a country, bitcoin cannot change from decentralization to centralization.

Therefore, given this situation, I believe that Satoshi, if he were still alive today, would likely remain proud of Bitcoin's current progress.

[notocactus]

most people don’t even hold their own keys anymore, they just leave it on exchanges.

It's their money, it's their responsibility to keep their bitcoins safely by owning private keys by themselves. They are change their knowledge by learning, change their mindset, then practice.

• Reminder: do not keep your money in online accounts
• Events made you scare about custodial wallets, centralized exchanges.
• Not your keys, not your coins.

Yeah sure, Bitcoin’s big now, worth a lot, everyone knows it… but that original “decentralized” spirit feels like it’s slowly dying.

Bitcoin decentralization has been becoming bigger and better with time, not worse like you said. What you said is about bitcoin storage on CEX, and other things like tax, regulations but all these things don't affect Bitcoin network decentralization.

[idlebg]

YES and NO.
Here are my 2 cents coming from a guy that bought a dottle of Jack at a local club for 0.22BTC and took a UBER for 0.16BTC in 2015
https://talkimg.com/images/2025/10/22/Umu3Nf.th.jpeg https://talkimg.com/images/2025/10/22/Umuk4Z.th.jpeg


I believe Satoshi would have mixed feelings, but ultimately lean toward being proud. Here's why:
YES - The Technology Stands Strong
Fifteen years later, the core technology Satoshi created has stood the ultimate test of time. The miners are still working, transactions remain secure, and everything operates in a truly decentralized manner without his interference. No one can manipulate the fundamental protocol - the encryption, transaction processing, and mining mechanisms all work exactly as designed.
This resilience and longevity might be something even Satoshi couldn't have fully predicted when he released Bitcoin. The fact that his creation continues to function perfectly without him is perhaps the greatest testament to his engineering genius.
The KYC "Problem" Is Actually a Feature
Many see KYC requirements as betraying Bitcoin's vision, but I disagree. Think about it: if you want to sell a kilogram of gold, you provide documentation, prove ownership, and complete the transaction legally. Bitcoin exchanges serve the same legitimate purpose.
Satoshi never intended Bitcoin to help people hide money or avoid taxes. The vision was financial freedom WITH legitimacy. Having legal venues like Kraken and Coinbase where you can convert Bitcoin to fiat, pay your taxes, and have fully documented income is exactly what makes Bitcoin a mature financial system.
The Real Problem - User Education
Where we're falling short is in how people use these tools. Exchanges should be for transactions - converting in and out of fiat legally. They shouldn't be banks where people store their Bitcoin long-term.
Satoshi's principle "Not your keys, not your coins" has been forgotten. People have confused the tool (exchanges for legal transactions) with the storage solution (personal wallets). This misuse of the system, not the existence of regulations, is what might concern Satoshi.
Bitcoin's decentralized nature remains intact. The choice to hold your own keys is still there - people just need to be educated on how to use the system as intended.

• Reminder: do not keep your money in online accounts
• Events made you scare about custodial wallets, centralized exchanges.
• Not your keys, not your coins.

THE NO - Where Satoshi Would Be Furious
But here's where Satoshi would absolutely NOT be proud - where he'd probably "go crazy": Bitcoin is being exploited exactly like the 2009 financial crisis.
Remember why everything crashed in 2009? Money built on top of money that doesn't exist. Virtual money traded with nothing backing it. And now? We have Bitcoin ETFs. Leverage trading. Forex-style speculation on Bitcoin derivatives. This is precisely what Satoshi was trying to escape from.
Bitcoin was designed for peer-to-peer transactions, not as a long-term store of value. All these financial products built ON TOP of Bitcoin - the ETFs, the leveraged trading, the speculation instruments - are fundamentally wrong. They've turned Bitcoin into "digital gold" for hoarding and Wall Street games, when it was meant to be a currency for actual transactions.
We've allowed the traditional financial system to corrupt Bitcoin's purpose. The technology works, the legitimacy exists, but we've forgotten what it was actually FOR.

A Final Clarification: Store of Value vs. Speculation
I know saying "Bitcoin wasn't meant as a store of value" sounds contradictory, so let me be clear: Bitcoin WAS designed to protect your money from inflation - that's different from being a speculative asset.
Here's what I mean: when you hold Bitcoin, you should be confident your purchasing power won't erode like it does with fiat. Bitcoin should naturally appreciate to match inflation, giving you back what inflation took from you. That's legitimate value preservation.
But look at where we are now. I believe Bitcoin's current price is massively inflated by speculation - ETFs, leverage trading, and Wall Street games. The real, inflation-adjusted value of Bitcoin should probably be around $50-55k right now. That would be the baseline that doesn't go below, and from there it would rise naturally WITH inflation, not from speculation bubbles.
The difference? Satoshi's vision: Bitcoin compensates for inflation. Wall Street's corruption: Bitcoin makes people rich through speculation. One is sound money. The other is exactly the casino mentality that caused 2009.
Bitcoin should give you back what inflation stole - not promise you a lambo.

AI was only used for adjusting my European English to a more tolerable and readable level.

[Pumpsta]

BTC’s size is so big it’s like impossible to lack some regulation. Show me an unregulated 2T mcap asset.. it doesn’t exist! The problem lays in how it’s regulated tho. It often looks like they’re trying really hard to make everything tough for us. in between shit regulation there’s also good regulation though.. guess we have to wait and find out what the future looks like