Updated on:12/18/2025 04:48 PM 
The mystery surrounding Bitcoin's elusive creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, may soon be solved as betting on Polymarket shows overwhelming confidence that HBO's upcoming documentary will identify Len Sassaman as the cryptocurrency's founder. With over $500,000 wagered, decentralized prediction market participants have placed Sassaman as the frontrunner with a commanding 55% majority.
Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, directed by Cullen Hoback and scheduled to air next week, has become the focal point of intense speculation in the cryptocurrency community. While neither HBO nor Hoback has explicitly confirmed that the documentary will reveal Nakamoto's true identity, promotional materials and a Politico report suggest a potential breakthrough in one of the internet age's greatest mysteries.
Len Sassaman emerges as a compelling candidate for the title of Bitcoin's mysterious creator. The late developer made significant contributions to PGP encryption and remailer technology, pioneering advancements in digital privacy and cryptography that would later influence the foundation of blockchain technology.
Sassaman's collaboration with cryptography pioneers like David Chaum and Hal Finney places him at the intersection of key developments that paved the way for Bitcoin's creation. His deep involvement in the Cypherpunk movement—advocating for privacy-enhancing technologies—aligns perfectly with Bitcoin's core principles of decentralization and financial sovereignty.
Notably, the Bitcoin blockchain itself contains a tribute to Sassaman, lending credibility to theories about his connection to the cryptocurrency's origins. His untimely death in 2011, following a battle with depression and neurological disorders, coincided mysteriously with Satoshi Nakamoto's disappearance from public view, fueling speculation about a possible link between these two events.
While Sassaman leads the prediction market, other prominent figures have also been proposed as potential Satoshi Nakamoto candidates. Hal Finney and Blockstream CEO Adam Back trail behind with approximately 10% of the betting pool votes each, while Nick Szabo and Paul Le Roux command 7.5% and 4.7% respectively.
Controversially, Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Bitcoin's creator despite facing numerous legal challenges to his assertion, maintains a position in the top five with less than 1% of the vote.
The absence of concrete evidence confirming any of these theories has allowed numerous speculations to flourish. Many of Satoshi's earliest collaborators have consistently denied knowing the true identity behind the pseudonym, while countless other theories have been thoroughly debunked by researchers.
Adding to the mystery, it remains uncertain whether Satoshi Nakamoto represents an individual person or a collective of developers, making the creator's identity one of the most compelling enigmas in the history of digital currencies as Bitcoin continues its meteoric rise in global finance.
For Polymarket participants, the documentary's outcome will determine their winnings. If HBO identifies Sassaman as the primary individual behind Bitcoin's creation, those who bet on him will profit. However, if the documentary suggests shared responsibility or points to a different individual entirely, the market will not resolve in Sassaman's favor.
