Recently released Epstein documents show repeated references to “satoshi (bitcoin)” beginning in 2011, when Bitcoin was entering early adoption and #SatoshiNakamoto had already withdrawn from public communication. These references point to tracking and awareness, not direct contact, during a period when multiple efforts were underway to uncover Bitcoin’s creator.
By 2013 and 2014, Epstein had moved into institutional crypto circles, funding and circulating Bitcoin research connected to elite academic and financial networks, including initiatives later tied to MIT. The focus was on mining, scalability, and infrastructure, well after Satoshi’s disappearance and the handover of Bitcoin development to public maintainers.
In 2016, Epstein claimed he had spoken with “some of the founders of Bitcoin” while pitching a Sharia-compliant digital currency to Saudi financial elites. The phrasing is notable, but the project never launched, and the claim emerged years after Bitcoin had become institutionalized.
The documents do not show that Epstein met or worked with Satoshi Nakamoto. They do, however, challenge the lone-genius narrative and reinforce long-standing evidence that Bitcoin’s creation was likely a group effort rather than the work of a single individual.
