“Bitcoin Inventor” Denies Newsweek Story After Bizarre Car Chase
Following a bizarre chase through Los Angeles and into the elevator of an Associated Press bureau, engineer Satoshi Nakamoto denied being the creator of Bitcoin, contradicting a major Newsweek story published this morning.
In its story, Newsweek had identified the 64-year-old as the crypto-currency’s creator. Journalists quickly set upon his house in the L.A. suburb of Temple City, where Nakamoto lives his family. Video from the scene showed him leaving with an AP journalist in a Prius—for free lunch, he said.
For reasons not entirely clear, a horde of tech journalists decided to tail Nakamoto and the unnamed reporter, who visited a sushi restaurant before eventually winding up in downtown Los Angeles. They had company:
There is a huge chase going on behind #Nakamoto. Tons of media. All heading west on the 10 freeway
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
Los Angeles Times reporter Joe Bel Bruno live-tweeted most of the chase:
OK, apparently #Nakamoto picked one reporter outside his house to take to sushi. Surreal #bitcoin
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014.
So the AP reporter takes #Nakamoto to lunch for the #Bitcoin scoop, to a sushi restaurant in Temple City. Other reporters chase them.
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
Then reporters barge into the sushi restaurant, confront the @ap reporter and #Nakamoto
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
So #Nakamoto and the @ap reporter flee the sushi restaurant. The rest of the media take chase again. #bitcoin
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
OK, so #Nakamoto and the @ap reporter have just pulled over on a RANDOM street. #bitcoin
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
OK, #Nakamoto and the @AP reporter are back on the move. The great #Bitcoin car chase continues in Temple City
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
OK, the great #Bitcoin chase down the 10 freeway. WHERE IS #NAKAMOTO heading???
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
As it turns out, Nakamoto and his AP companion were heading to: the AP bureau.
So the Great #Bitcoinchase seems to have found a destination at the @ap bureau.
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
But the chase wasn’t over!
The @latimes reporter @byandreachang jumps into the elevator with #Nakamoto in #bitcoinchase
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
Nakamoto now in DTLA. Told me in elevator that he's not involved with #Bitcoin, engaged in weird car chase "all for a free lunch."
— Andrea Chang (@byandreachang) March 6, 2014
Just as quickly as it began, the feeding frenzy dissipated:
OK, the reporters chasing #nakamoto basically just split to grab lunch
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
Update, 7:35 PM: The Associated Press reports that Nakamoto is strongly denying the Newsweek report:
In an exclusive two-hour interview with The Associated Press Dorian S. Nakamoto, 64, said he had never heard of Bitcoin until his son told him he had been contacted by a reporter three weeks ago.