Peter Todd (programmer)
Peter Todd | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | Ontario College of Art and Design |
| Occupation | Software developer |
| Known for | Bitcoin development |
| Notable work | OpenTimestamps |
| Website | https://petertodd.org/ |
Peter Todd is a Canadian 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
[edit]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]
In 2019, Todd filed a defamation suit against former Tor developer Isis Lovecruft after they publicly accused him of rape and sexual misconduct on Twitter.[4] The lawsuit was settled and dismissed in 2020.[5][better source needed]
Cryptocurrency involvement
[edit]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]
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.[8][9] 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".[10][9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Peter Todd: I am not Bitcoin inventor, says man named in HBO film". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ^ "HBO Documentary Suggests Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Is Developer Peter Todd". Bloomberg.com. 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ^ a b c Kaminska, Izabella (2024-10-09). "Bitcoin creator is Peter Todd, HBO film says". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ^ Brandom, Russell (2019-10-02). "A disgraced Tor developer has resurfaced to testify against one of his accusers". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
- ^ https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2020/06/16/ex-bitcoin-dev-settles-defamation-suit-over-sex-assault-claims
- ^ Simonite, Tom (15 August 2014). "The Man Who Really Built Bitcoin". MIT Tech Review. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "Majority of bitcoin miners signal rebellion amid sluggish 'blockchain'". Bloomberg. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.