Remember Newsweek's "shocking" inaugural print issue which claimed to have uncovered the creator of Bitcoin (by scouring the phone book), and of course poor Satoshi Dorian Nakamoto's 15 minutes of fame? Guess we can put that to rest. From the LA Times [3].
The statement came in an email from Ethan D. Kirschner, a Los Angeles lawyer.
"This firm has been retained by Dorian S. Nakamoto, the subject of the recent Newsweek cover story on Bitcoin," Kirschner said in an email. "He has issued the attached prepared statement. No further comment will be made by Mr. Nakamoto or the firm."
In the statement, Nakamoto says:
I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report.
According to Nakamoto, he heard the term bitcoin from his son only in February after he had been contacted by the reporter working on the Newsweek story.
When that story was published in early March, Nakamoto, 64, found himself at the center of a media circus as well as a raging online debate about whether he could in fact be the programmer who had created the virtual currency that has become a billion-dollar global phenomenon.
Part of the story pointed to the fact that Nakamoto of Temple City had programming skills. In the statement, Nakamoto says:
"My background is in engineering. I also have the ability to program. My most recent job was as an electrical engineer troubleshooting air traffic control equipment for the FAA. I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies."
The Newsweek story also notes what appears to be a strange gap in his resume over the last decade, the time during which the bitcoin code was written and released. Nakamoto explains:
"I have not been able to find steady work as an engineer or programmer for ten years. I have worked as a laborer, polltaker, and substitute teacher. I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress. I am trying to recover from prostate surgery in October 2012 and a stroke I suffered in October of 2013. My prospects for gainful employment has been harmed because of Newsweek's article."
Nakamoto ends by asking to be left in peace:
"Newsweek's false report has been the source of a great deal of confusion and stress for myself, my 93-year old mother, my siblings, and their families. I offer my sincerest thanks to those people in the United States and around the world who have offered me their support. I have retained legal counsel. This will be our last public statement on this matter. I ask that you now respect our privacy."
So does Newsweek now retract its entire re-inaugural print issue or does it still stand behind its story, or perhaps it will simply replace it with an exclusive profile of Newsweek's mysterious, legendary fact-checker?