On March 6, 2014, Newsweek published a cover story titled “The Face Behind Bitcoin” by journalist Leah McGrath Goodman, claiming to have identified Bitcoin’s creator. The article pointed to Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto, a 64-year-old Japanese-American physicist and systems engineer living in Temple City, California. It opened at his house: “Satoshi Nakamoto stands at the end of his sunbaked driveway looking timorous. And annoyed.”
Goodman based her identification largely on the fact that Dorian’s birth name was “Satoshi Nakamoto,” that he had a background in engineering and classified defense work, and a quote she attributed to him during a brief doorstep interview:
Dorian Nakamoto (Newsweek article, March 6, 2014)I am no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it. […] It’s been turned over to other people. They are in charge of it now. I no longer have any connection.
The article sparked a media frenzy. Reporters and photographers descended on Dorian Nakamoto’s home, chasing the bewildered retiree through the streets of Temple City. The incident drew widespread criticism of Newsweek’s journalistic approach, particularly the publication of Dorian’s home address and photograph.
Dorian Nakamoto firmly and repeatedly denied any involvement with Bitcoin. He stated he had misunderstood the reporter’s question and thought she was asking about his previous classified engineering work. He retained a lawyer and gave a detailed interview to the Associated Press reaffirming his denial. Newsweek appended his attorney’s statement to the end of the article. It reads in part:
Dorian Nakamoto (Attorney's statement to Newsweek, March 19, 2014)My name is Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto. […] I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report. The first time I heard the term “bitcoin” was from my son in mid-February 2014. […] I never consented to speak with the reporter. In an ensuing discussion with a reporter from the Associated Press, I called the technology “bitcom.” I was still unfamiliar with the term. […] I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies. […] I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress.
On March 7, 2014, the day after the article, a message appeared on Satoshi Nakamoto’s P2P Foundation account stating simply: “I am not Dorian Nakamoto.” The authenticity of this post remains debated, as Satoshi’s P2P Foundation account may have been compromised.
The Bitcoin community rallied behind Dorian, raising over 67 BTC in donations for him.
Weeks after publication, Dorian Nakamoto’s name-match candidacy was itself folded into the 11-candidate pool of an Aston University stylometric study — a method his own case never rested on. For what came next, see the Dorian Nakamoto biography, the identity hypothesis analysis, the account’s brief return to deny the claim, and Greenberg’s Forbes follow-up “Nakamoto’s neighbor”.
