The Finding Satoshi Documentary Is Excellent

And not for the reasons you would think.

I have now watched Finding Satoshi four times in the last few weeks. It is a new documentary that makes a compelling case for the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Like most Bitcoiners, I do not think Satoshi’s identity matters for the purpose of using and understanding Bitcoin. The code and white paper speak for themselves, and I’m not going to reveal any secrets here. (You’ll have to watch the movie to find out).

What I liked most about the movie was that it honored the genesis of Bitcoin. To most of the world, Bitcoin came out of nowhere, but it actually emerged from 25 years of science, political activism, and libertarian philosophy. Those underlying principles of Bitcoin are, to me as important as Bitcoin itself (hence the name of this newsletter). But what was most revealing was the portrait of the early, leading cypherpunks. I have read about them only through the written record, mostly emails, blog posts, and assorted essays (The Genesis Book by Aaron van Wirdum is a convenient summary of the broad philosophical themes behind Bitcoin, including Austrian economics, the extropians, the cypherpunks, etc.).

The film shows them as brilliant coders, political activists, and good people. This stands in contrast to the shady characters who have occupied much of the attention in the broader cryptocurrency space over the last decade (for example, SBF).

From everything we know of Satoshi’s written record—his code and his writing—he was a remarkable individual. Fantastically creative, humble, patient, kind, and focused. He answered almost any question about Bitcoin without insult or injury, explained both the technical side and the underlying economics, and wasted no time on small talk. He focused exclusively on explaining the innovation. And many of the cypherpunks share many of these traits, as the film interviews many of them.

We will probably never know Satoshi’s true identity, and as I said earlier, it doesn’t matter. But if you really want to know the true ethos and spirit of Bitcoin, I recommend the film.