Who created Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto?

Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin in a 2008 white paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” The software was released in January 2009, when Nakamoto mined the first block and launched the network. The name may represent one person or a group, because Nakamoto’s real-world identity has never been conclusively established.

Nakamoto communicated with early developers through online forums and email, then gradually withdrew from public involvement in 2010 and 2011. Several people have been publicly identified or have claimed to be Nakamoto, but none has provided universally accepted proof, such as control of the earliest known private keys.

A common mix-up is treating Bitcoin’s creator as its current leader. Bitcoin is decentralized, and no single person officially controls its network. The name “Satoshi” is also used for the smallest unit of bitcoin: one bitcoin equals 100 million satoshis.