Adam Back

Cryptographer, Cypherpunk, CEO of Blockstream

British London, England

Quick Info

ProfessionCryptographer, Cypherpunk, CEO of Blockstream
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth01/07/1970
Age56 years
BirthplaceLondon, England

Latest News about Adam Back

08/04/2026

The New York Times published an investigation arguing that Adam Back is the best-supported candidate for Satoshi Nakamoto, citing writing-style analysis, timing overlaps, and early Bitcoin-related activity. Back denied the claim and said the evidence was circumstantial rather than definitive.

08/04/2026

BBC and other outlets reported Back's public response to the New York Times investigation, in which he said he is not Satoshi Nakamoto. He described the theory as a case of confirmation bias and said the similarities cited by the investigation were coincidences.

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Bio/Wiki

OverviewRenowned British cryptographer and cypherpunk, inventor of Hashcash in 1997, co-founder and CEO of Blockstream since 2014. His work on proof-of-worth systems was cited in Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin whitepaper. He is a leading candidate for the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, though recent evidence suggests he is not the actual creator.

Personal Life

Early InterestsTaught himself Basic programming on Sinclair ZX81, reverse-engineered video games, A-levels in mathematics, physics, economics.

Career

Key Milestones
  • Year: 1997 Event: Invented Hashcash, proof-of-work system for anti-spam and DDoS protection
  • Year: 2014 Event: Co-founded Blockstream, blockchain technology company
  • Year: 2016 Event: Appointed CEO of Blockstream
Other RolesCryptography consultant for startups and companies like Microsoft, EMC, PI, VMware, Zero-Knowledge Systems.

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Referenced in Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper
2. Early cypherpunk, worked on PGP encryption, electronic cash, remailers
3. Implemented credlib library for credential systems
4. First to describe non-interactive forward secrecy for email
5. Communicated with Satoshi Nakamoto via email in the early days of Bitcoin
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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