After news surfaced that copies of the original Bitcoin whitepaper were found on the recent versions of macOS computers, the theory suggesting that the late Steve Jobs may be the real Satoshi Nakamoto is gaining traction again. However, some people from Apple claim that the inclusion of the whitepaper is merely a tribute to the inventor of Bitcoin.
Will the Real Satoshi Nakamoto Please Stand Up
Over the years, several names have been thrown around about the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, which is the pseudonym used by the credited inventor of Bitcoin. One major theory points to Nick Szabo who was the author of the paper titled “Bit Gold” in 1998.
The document puts forth an interesting concept about a decentralized digital currency that uses a proof-of-work mechanism to verify transactions in its network. Well, that’s just about how Bitcoin worked when it was introduced in 2009, which was more than a decade after Szabo’s paper. So far, this makes him the most likely suspect.
Others state that Satoshi may represent a group of individuals from Japan who were responsible for the creation of Bitcoin. To this date though, no one has claimed the moniker, making the inventor of the world’s oldest and most successful cryptocurrency a mystery up to this point.
Now, the theory suggesting that the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs may be Satoshi is floating around once more. The speculations surfaced when blogger Andy Baio found a Bitcoin whitepaper hiding within the stock files of Apple’s operating system, the MacOS.
The Bitcoin Whitepaper within the MacOS
The whitepaper that served as the blueprint for cryptos was titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. A lot like Szabo’s paper, it detailed an electronic cash that does not go through traditional financial institutions and is governed via a peer-to-peer network or a distributed ledger technology (DLT), which is more popularly known as the “blockchain”.
According to Baio, the file can be accessed using the string of commands via Terminal, which is composed of the following:
Andy Baio via Waxy.orgopen /System/Library/Image\
Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf
The simpledoc.pdf file containing the paper can also be found in the Resources folder of computers running on 2018 to present versions of the MacOS. This can be found using the following steps:
- Open Finder
- Go to Macintosh HD
- Proceed to System
- Select Library
- Pick Image Capture from the options
- Go to Devices
- Open and navigate the contents of the Resources folder
- Open simpledoc.pdf
The blogger said that he stumbled upon the file while he was fixing his printer. Then, he asked some of his friends to replicate his discovery, only to find that it went as far as the 2018 version of the MacOS.
Baio wasn’t actually the first to find the little Easter egg on Mac. A former Apple product designer named “Josh D.” on Twitter already encountered the whitepaper and he posted about it on the social media platform in 2020. However, his tweet failed to gain significant traction back then.
Why Steve Jobs May Be Satoshi Nakamoto?
A popular conjecture is that the whitepaper may only be a tribute to Satoshi. But then again, the recent news further linking Apple to Bitcoin is reinforcing the theory that Jobs may be behind the creation of the crypto.
The assumption definitely holds water if one considers the contributions of Jobs in the realm of computing devices. It should be noted that the former Apple CEO and co-founder was one of the few people responsible for mass marketing personal computers.
Additionally, Jobs’ visionary skills as a coder and cryptographer are just simply too hard to ignore.
Final Thoughts
The hunt for the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto continues to this day. Besides curiosity, the interest is fueled by the fact that the person or group holds and controls a huge stake in Bitcoin. Based on estimates, the mysterious personality owns 750,000 to 1.1 million BTC.
Experts and analysts say that the identity of Bitcoin’s creator could have implications for the future of cryptocurrency. It is possible that the true identity of Satoshi could have an impact on the value of Bitcoin, or could influence the development and direction of the cryptocurrency in the future.
