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Peter Todd (programmer)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jtbobwaysf (talk | contribs) at 08:00, 24 February 2025 (Cryptocurrency involvement: fix dates). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Peter Todd
Born
EducationOntario College of Art and Design
Occupation(s)Cryptographer, software developer
Known forBitcoin development, cryptography
Notable workOpenTimestamps
Websitehttps://petertodd.org/

Peter Todd is a Canadian cryptographer and software developer who was an early contributor to the development of Bitcoin.[1] Todd has been involved in cryptocurrency since the early 2010s and has worked on blockchain and privacy-focused projects.[2]

Biography

Peter Todd was born in Canada. When he was 15 years old he began communicating with cypherpunks like Adam Back and Hal Finney.[3] Before his career as a core developer, Peter Todd attended the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.[3]

Cryptocurrency involvement

Todd was associated with Dark Wallet in 2014.[4]

In 2016 Todd was involved in the creation of Zcash along with Edward Snowden (the latter working under a pseudonym).[5]

In 2014 Todd stated that Gavin Andresen had been responsible for code changes that resulted in Bitcoin's rising fees.[6] In 2017 Todd was against an increase in the Bitcoin block size in relation to the controversy surrounding the Bitcoin scalability problem and SegWit.[7]

Todd was one of the defendants in the Craig Wright lawsuit in 2021.[8]


The 2024 HBO documentary Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery by Cullen Hoback named Todd as Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Todd has publicly denied being Nakamoto, stating in the film that it was "ludicrous".[3][1] Hoback's theory includes a range of circumstantial evidence.[9][10] In the film, Todd denied that he was Nakamoto, saying that it was "ludicrous" and "grasping at straws". Todd criticized Hoback for "QAnon style coincidence-based conspiracy thinking".[11][10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Peter Todd: I am not Bitcoin inventor, says man named in HBO film". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  2. ^ "HBO Documentary Suggests Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Is Developer Peter Todd". Bloomberg.com. 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  3. ^ a b c Kaminska, Izabella (2024-10-09). "Bitcoin creator is Peter Todd, HBO film says". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  4. ^ "Waiting for Dark: Inside Two Anarchists' Quest for Untraceable Money". Wired. 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
  5. ^ del Castillo, Michael (22 April 2022). "Edward Snowden Revealed As Key Participant In Mysterious Ceremony Creating $2 Billion Anonymous Cryptocurrency". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  6. ^ Simonite, Tom (15 August 2014). "The Man Who Really Built Bitcoin". MIT Tech Review. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  7. ^ "Majority of bitcoin miners signal rebellion amid sluggish 'blockchain'". Bloomberg. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2025-2-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  8. ^ del Castillo, Michael (13 May 2021). "Australian man Craig Wright who says he created bitcoin takes £4bn claim to London high court". Guardian. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  9. ^ Dugan, Kevin T. (2024-10-08). "A Quest to Unmask Bitcoin Inventor Satoshi Nakamoto Finds a Man Named Peter Todd". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  10. ^ a b Sarlin, Jon (9 October 2024). "'I am not Satoshi Nakamoto': Subject of HBO documentary denies he invented bitcoin | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  11. ^ Roberts, Jeff John (October 9, 2024). "HBO doc reveals Bitcoin creator is Peter Todd—that's wrong but 'Money Electric' is still a good watch". Fortune Crypto. Retrieved 2024-10-09.