Gwern refuses to withdraw his claims that “Satoshi is probably Craig Wright” (opens in new tab)

(reddit.com)

2 pointsnadaviv6y ago2 comments

2 comments

This is the article in question, co-authored by Gwern and published on Wired in August 2015:

"Bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto is probably this unknown Australian genius"

https://www.wired.com/2015/12/bitcoins-creator-satoshi-nakam...

This was one of the first and strongest "evidence" supporting Craig's claims, published by a well-known magazine and a reputable researcher. I've personally talked with several people who were convinced of the authenticity of Craig's claims using this publication as one of their primary justifications.

The linked thread has a long discussion between Greg Maxwell (/u/nullc) and Gwern (/u/gwern), where Greg calls him out and repeatedly asks him to retract his previous claims; Gwern acknowledges that he was deceived, but refuses to make an official retraction.

neilv6y ago

That Wired article currently has an "Update 12/14/2015" vague small note added at the very end, suggesting some doubt. That note would be better at the beginning of the article, than the end, IMHO.

If a real retraction is warranted (I don't know whether it is), then Wired should do it, with or without the original writers.

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