Maybe the mystery is important.

The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, remains one of the most captivating mysteries in crypto. In this short video, Hemi co-founder Jeff Garzik shares his views on the question of whether or not we will ever know who Satoshi really was.

“Will the mystery ever get solved?” he said. “The answer is ‘No.’ I like to lean on the side of there’s always going to be a little bit of mystery, and that’s part of what’s fun about Bitcoin.”

Despite years of amateur sleuthing and speculation, there’s little evidence to suggest that the truth will ever emerge. One reason this mystery has endured, said Garzik, is Satoshi’s meticulous avoidance of leaving a data trail. By ceasing all communication and vanishing from the internet in 2011, Satoshi made it significantly harder for anyone to piece together clues. The lack of breadcrumbs has left even the most determined detectives at a dead end.

Satoshi’s decision to remain anonymous wasn’t just about personal privacy. It was a deliberate choice that shaped the narrative and ethos of Bitcoin. By detaching their identity from the technology, Satoshi forced the world to focus on the protocol itself, rather than the person behind it.

Without a CV to scrutinize or a reputation to debate, the evaluation of Bitcoin was based purely on its merits, said Garzik. This anonymity shielded Bitcoin from the potential biases and distractions that could have arisen if its creator’s identity were public.

Check out more insight from a programmer who worked side-by-side with Satoshi in our Satoshi Stories series on YouTube.