Uncovering Satoshi - Who are the most likely suspects?

This is my opinion on the top 3 suspects.

Nick Szabo

Computer scientist, legal expert, and cryptographer Nick Szabo is renowned for his work on digital currency and contracts. The idea of smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the conditions of the agreement written into the code, is credited to him. In 1994, Szabo originally put forth the concept of smart contracts in an article titled "Smart Contracts: Building Blocks for Digital Markets."

Szabo is regarded as a pioneer in the field of digital money and is well recognised for his work on cryptography and digital currency. In the late 1990s, he developed "Bit Gold," a forerunner to Bitcoin, which he explained in a number of blog articles.

Many believe that Szabo is a good possibility to be the real Nakamoto, but he has refuted this.

He has written extensively about the legal ramifications of digital currency and contracts as a researcher of law. He has written about the interaction between cryptography and civil liberties and is a supporter of online privacy and freedom.

Hal Finney

Computer programmer Hal Finney made early contributions to Bitcoin. In the years after it was created, he was a prominent participant in the community and one of the first users of the Bitcoin programme. The encryption programme Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which is frequently used to protect email communications, was originally created by Finney.

He was well-known and honoured in the Bitcoin community for his contributions to the technology's advancement. Additionally, he was a fervent supporter of Bitcoin and published numerous articles on the advantages of the technology in forums and on social media.

Finney denied the claims that he created Bitcoin but acknowledged having received the first Bitcoin transaction from Nakamoto. He passed away in 2014 due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement. He was widely respected and honored within the Bitcoin community.

Len Sassaman

Len was an original cypherpunk, up until 2011. By all accounts, Len was on track to be one of the most important cryptographers of his time. But on July 3rd, 2011, he tragically took his own life at 31, following a long battle with depression and functional neurological disorders.

His death coincided with the disappearance of the world’s most famous cypherpunk: Satoshi Nakamoto. Only 2 months before Len died, Satoshi sent their final communication

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While its fun to speculate on these matters, its important to understand that first of all, if satoshi is smart enough to create bitcoin, they are smart enough to understand the importance of staying anonymous. I dont believe we will ever know the true identity of them.

Note: I havent included in the top 3 anyone claiming to be Satoshi, likely for quick fame, as that is against everything the real satoshi stood for.