Chasing a Ghost: Reflections on The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto
Benjamin Wallace’s The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto: A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto promises an investigation into one of the great modern enigmas: the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. Having finished the book, I cannot honestly say that I am any closer to knowing who Nakamoto really was—or is. But that does not make Wallace’s investigation unsuccessful. The search itself reveals how thoroughly the missing founder has become part of Bitcoin’s mythology. Nakamoto’s disappearance is not merely an unresolved biographical detail. It helps the system appear to belong to no one. Cover image: The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto by Benjamin Wallace, published by Atlantic Books. Used here for purposes of review and commentary. The Investigation Behind the Mystery Rather than producing a definitive answer, Wallace offers something more diffuse but still compelling: a guided tour through the early history of...