I’ve spent a lot of time reading about Bitcoin’s early history, and one name keeps coming back to me — Hal Finney. I’m not saying this is proven, but if Satoshi was a single person, Hal fits an incredible number of pieces.
Hal was one of the first people ever involved in Bitcoin. He received the very first BTC transaction from Satoshi. That already places him in an extremely small circle.
Technically, he was more than capable. He was a top-level cryptographer, an early cypherpunk, and worked on PGP long before Bitcoin existed. The skill set needed to design Bitcoin? He had it.
Then there are the strange coincidences. Hal lived near a man named Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto. Some people think using a nearby real name could have been a way to create a believable pseudonym.
Even writing style comparisons between Hal and Satoshi show similarities in tone, clarity, and dry humor. Not proof — but interesting.
Timing is another piece people talk about. Satoshi disappeared around the same period Hal’s ALS became severe. Around the same time, Satoshi’s online presence vanished completely.
Hal also mined early Bitcoin and never moved those coins. No selling. No hype. Just holding — like someone who cared more about the idea than the money.
Nobody can prove Hal was Satoshi. Maybe Satoshi was a group. Maybe someone else entirely.
But if it was one person, Hal Finney is one of the most compelling possibilities.
Maybe that’s the real legacy anyway — Bitcoin was designed so it wouldn’t need its creator. The idea was meant to survive on its own.
