The Bitcoin (BTC) community is celebrating the anniversary of cypherpunk and Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney’s post on January 10, 2009, telling the world that he was using Bitcoin node software
“The Launch of Bitcoin”, Finney he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Finney was the recipient of the first Bitcoin transaction on the network.
Born on May 4, 1956, he pursued a career in computer science and cryptography, and was one of the first people to react to Satoshi Nakamoto’s announcement of Bitcoin white paper.
Satoshi sent Finney 10 BTC, valued at more than $900,500 at today’s prices, and was one of the first individuals to contact Nakamoto, leading to speculation that Finney was actually Satoshi Nakamoto.
Sadly, Finney passed away in 2014 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neurological disease that gradually destroys motor function. He was 58 years old.
Finney’s 2009 post is now a seminal piece of Bitcoin lore, marking the earliest stages of a decentralized peer-to-peer electronic cash network.
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Is Hal Finney Satoshi? The speculation continues
In 2024, the HBO media network broadcast a documentary series under the title Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mysterywho claimed to have discovered Nakamoto’s identity.
The documentary sparked a debate about the true identity of Satoshi, with some claiming that Finney was Satoshi based on his skills, several published research papers on cryptography, and being the first person to receive BTC from Satoshi.
Laszlo Hanyecz, a developer known for being the first individual to use BTC in a commercial transaction by sending 10,000 BTC for two pizzas, previously said that Satoshi was not familiar with Mac OS, Apple’s computer operating system.
Both Finney and his wife owned Mac OS computers, according to 2010 online records publish from Finney.
Jameson Lopp, co-founder of crypto custodian company Casa, also presented evidence in 2023 casting doubt on Finney being Satoshi.
Finney ran a marathon race during a series of emails between Satoshi and another software developer.
The final email was sent about two minutes before Finney crossed the finish line — conclusive proof that Finney is not Satoshi, according to Lopp.
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