Table of Contents
As someone who’s followed the rollercoaster story of Bitcoin for years, I’ve seen countless theories about its origins come and go. The latest claim to catch my eye comes from a site, uastend.com, which asserts that programmers B. Cohen and L. Sassemen are the masterminds behind Bitcoin. The article cites a report by AIF, which in turn points to hackers as the source of this revelation. It’s a bold statement, but is there any substance behind it? Let’s dig into Bitcoin’s history, examine this claim, and see where the evidence—or lack thereof—takes us.
Bitcoin’s Beginnings: A Response to Crisis
Bitcoin burst onto the scene in 2009, introduced through a whitepaper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, penned by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. I remember reading that document years ago, struck by its vision of a decentralized currency free from banks and governments. The first block of the Bitcoin blockchain, dubbed the genesis block, was mined on January 3, 2009. Tucked inside was a cryptic message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” To me, it’s always hinted that Bitcoin was born out of frustration with the 2008 financial crisis—a rebellion against a system that propped up failing institutions with taxpayer money.
Since those early days, Bitcoin has exploded in popularity. Its value soared to over $60,000 in 2021, and it’s spawned a wave of imitators like Ethereum and Litecoin. It’s been hailed as a financial revolution and criticized as a tool for crime, but one question lingers: who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
The Latest Claim: B. Cohen and L. Sassemen
The uastend.com article throws a new twist into the mix, claiming that B. Cohen and L. Sassemen, two programmers, are the true creators of Bitcoin. The trail leads back to AIF and, intriguingly, to hackers who supposedly uncovered this secret. As someone who’s tracked the Satoshi saga, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow. The Bitcoin community has heard plenty of claims like this before, and they rarely hold up under scrutiny.
Take 2014, for example, when Newsweek fingered Dorian Nakamoto, a quiet engineer from California, as Bitcoin’s creator. I followed that story closely—Dorian denied it flat-out, saying he’d never even heard of Bitcoin until the reporters showed up. Then there’s Craig Wright, the Australian who in 2016 declared himself Satoshi, flashing some cryptographic keys as proof. Experts poked holes in his story, and I wasn’t convinced either. More recently, whispers have pointed to Paul Le Roux, a programmer-turned-criminal, as a candidate. Could he have built Bitcoin to launder his ill-gotten gains? It’s a juicy theory, but the evidence is thin.
Now we have B. Cohen and L. Sassemen. The names don’t ring a bell from Bitcoin’s early days, and the article doesn’t offer much beyond the hacker connection. Without more details—say, a smoking gun like Nakamoto’s private keys—it’s hard to take this seriously.
Why the Mystery Matters
What keeps me hooked on this puzzle is how it reflects Bitcoin itself: decentralized, anonymous, and defiant. Satoshi Nakamoto didn’t just disappear after launching Bitcoin; they left behind an estimated 1 million BTC, untouched to this day. That’s billions of dollars sitting dormant, a fortune that could shake markets if it ever moved. Whoever Nakamoto is—whether one person or a group—they’ve stayed silent, letting Bitcoin speak for itself.
Theories abound because the stakes are high. If Nakamoto’s identity were revealed, they’d face lawsuits, tax demands, maybe even threats. I’ve often wondered if that’s why they vanished—privacy might be their ultimate shield.
Digging Deeper: What Does the Evidence Say?
So, what about this hacker-sourced claim? I’d love to believe hackers cracked the case, but it’s a shaky foundation. Hacking can unearth secrets, sure, but it doesn’t guarantee truth. The uastend.com piece doesn’t give us specifics—no code samples, no emails, no blockchain transactions linking B. Cohen and L. Sassemen to Bitcoin’s creation. Compare that to Nakamoto’s whitepaper or the genesis block: tangible artifacts we can analyze. This claim feels more like a rumor than a revelation.
Bitcoin’s creation demanded expertise in cryptography, economics, and peer-to-peer systems. Could two programmers pull it off? Absolutely. But so could a dozen others—or a whole team. Without hard proof, it’s just another guess in a crowded field.
My Take: The Search Goes On
After years of watching this mystery unfold, I’ve learned to approach each new claim with a healthy dose of skepticism. The uastend.com story about B. Cohen and L. Sassemen is intriguing, no doubt, but it’s not the breakthrough it claims to be. The real Satoshi Nakamoto—whether a lone genius or a hidden collective—remains out of reach. Maybe that’s how it should be: Bitcoin’s power lies in its network, not its creator.
If you’re as fascinated by this as I am, here are some solid starting points to explore further:
- Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System – Satoshi’s original vision, straight from the source.
- The Search for Satoshi Nakamoto – A New Yorker piece on the hunt for Bitcoin’s founder.
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? – CoinDesk’s rundown of the top theories.
For now, I’ll keep watching the headlines, waiting for the day when the truth might finally surface—or accepting that it never will.
