HBO might endanger someone with its bitcoin documentary

News that HBO is set to release a documentary titled Bitcoin Electric, which may reveal the identity of Bitcoin's mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has resurfaced old warnings that such a revelation could put a person and their family at risk.

HBO announced that the documentary, directed by Cullen Hoback – who previously directed Q: Into the Storm, which helped expose those behind the QAnon conspiracy theory – is scheduled to premiere on October 8th.

The trailer, already released, features well-known Bitcoin figures, including Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, a major Bitcoin infrastructure company. Back, who is mentioned in Bitcoin's whitepaper, is often speculated to be Satoshi Nakamoto, though this theory has been largely dismissed.

"I think we make a hell of a case in the film, and I think that who we land on is unexpected and is going to result in a fair amount of controversy," Hoback told Fast Company.

Alex Thorn, Head of Research at the crypto company Galaxy Digital, said he's heard that the documentary identifies developer Len Sassaman, who committed suicide in 2011, as the creator of Bitcoin. This theory was previously explored in 2021.

Meanwhile, several commentators have emphasized that naming someone as a potential Satoshi Nakamoto could be dangerous.

Jameson Lopp, Co-founder and Chief Security Officer of Bitcoin company Casa, reiterated his previous stance: "Accusing someone of being Satoshi without providing bulletproof evidence makes you a massive asshole because you're painting a target on them."

"Even if that person is dead, you're endangering their family," Lopp previously said.

Though there's no way to know for certain, it's estimated that Satoshi Nakamoto owns around 1.1 million BTC, currently valued at $67.6 billion.