Hal Finney was a computer scientist known for being an early contributor to Bitcoin’s development. Finney received the very first Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto himself. Finney’s interest in cryptography existed long before Bitcoin and he is credited with creating the first reusable proof-of-work system years prior, in 2004.
Much speculation exists that Finney was in fact Satoshi Nakamoto himself despite Finney denying these claims. Finney sadly passed away in 2014 after a battle with ALS.
Hal Finney in the News
Interviews with Hal Finney
- Crypto ‘98 Santa Barbara: Hal Finney discusses ZK Proofs
Hal Finney FAQ
Did Hal Finney know who Satoshi was?
Despite his close association with Satoshi, Hal Finney stated that he only interacted with Satoshi online and had no knowledge of their identity.
Could Hal Finney really be Satoshi?
It is highly unlikely. Finney went on record saying “I've done some changes to the Bitcoin code, and my style is completely different from Satoshi's. I program in C, which is compatible with C++, but I don't understand the tricks that Satoshi used.”