In a striking revelation featured in HBO’s latest documentary, Canadian Bitcoin core developer Peter Todd has purportedly acknowledged himself as the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. However, this confession may not be as straightforward as it appears.

The documentary, titled Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, seeks to unveil the identity of Bitcoin’s elusive founder. According to a report by Politico on October 9, producer Cullen Hoback confronts both Todd and Blockstream founder Adam Back, presenting the evidence he has meticulously gathered to assert that Todd is indeed Nakamoto.

The documentary reaches its climax with Todd responding to Hoback’s pointed inquiry by stating, “Well yeah, I’m Satoshi Nakamoto.” Yet, this statement lacks definitive proof of Todd’s claim to the title. Notably, Todd has a history of playfully claiming, “I am Satoshi,” as a means to advocate for the anonymity of Bitcoin’s true creator.

In the lead-up to the documentary’s airing, Peter Todd openly denied being Bitcoin’s architect and expressed skepticism regarding Hoback’s conclusions after preliminary clips hinted at his alleged identity. Following the documentary’s release, Todd reiterated his denial on social media. In an October 8 post on X, he responded to a comment urging him to refute HBO’s assertion, firmly stating, “I am not Satoshi.”

Todd has previously joked about being Satoshi. In a 2019 episode of the What Bitcoin Did podcast, he quipped to host Peter McCormack, “I am Satoshi, as is everyone else.” He reminisced about his initial Bitcoin purchase—acquired at around 20 cents in October 2010, two years after the release of Bitcoin’s seminal whitepaper on October 31, 2008.

Hoback’s assertion that Todd is Nakamoto hinges on a particular message from a chat log, in which Todd purportedly claims to be “the world’s leading expert on how to sacrifice your Bitcoins.” He further elaborated that he had “done one such sacrifice and I did it by hand.” Hoback interprets this remark as an indication that Todd has irrevocably relinquished his ability to access the 1.1 million Bitcoin—valued at approximately $69.4 billion—that are believed to be held by Nakamoto.