Satoshi and Banksy

I know. I know. You're thinking a programmer (or a group of programmers) can't possibly be an artist (or a group of artists). I'm here to tell you that coding is art, and when you get good enough at it, it is easily distinguishable from others. People who code are not machines, which means they have ticks, unique styles and idiosyncrasies. We all know the same can be said about artists. I've seen a lot of hubbaloo and documentaries about how to spot the differences between a real Banksy and suspected forgeries. This is because people have original ways of arriving at solutions, be it art, or code.

One thing is for certain, both Banksy and Satoshi are prominent in the UK and are suspected to be groups of people working in tandem with each other. They became suspiciously popular during seemingly concurrent timelines. And then there's the flat out admission from Banksy himself during an interview with thecoinfront.com website, where he stated: "I am Satoshi Nakamoto". He could have been joking, but maybe there was more to it.

Let's start with some fundamentals.

About Satoshi and Banksy

Bitcoin.org was registered as a domain in August 2008, linked to a Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonymous person(s) who also created the bitcoin white paper and devised the first blockchain database. Bitcoin is currently the most popular cryptocurrency in the world, and many of its early adherents were captured by the notion of a decentralized currency. A self-governing system of currency, Bitcoin preserves the anonymity of buyers.

Banksy is known for his social commentary in the form of satiric street art. The artist(s) became popular soon after the 2008 worldwide recession, often depicting scenes of social unrest, with anti-police graffiti as well as illustrations of the deepening wealth inequalities between elites and the proletariat. A lot of people have recently believed the artist to be Robin Gunningham, but a relatively recent stunt at a museum where his painting was shredded through its frame leads me to believe that at least two people were involved in the events that unfolded.

Are They Both Residents of the UK?

Satoshi Nakamoto is said to have graced the crypto forums in the early aughts, often dripping in typical British-style vernacular. He frequently referenced British headline news, and was awake during the accepted waking hours of Greenwich Mean Time .

Some people believe Robin Gunningham may be the actual identity of Banksy. He was born near Bristol, where much of Banksy's early work originated. Gunningham started using the pseudonym Robin Banks (a play on ‘robbing banks’). Banksy's identity has not been proven however, so this may simply be another red herring.

Age

They're both rumored to be about 45 years old.

Hatred of Politicians and the Rich

In Bitcoin forums, Nakomoto has been seen to detest both corrupt politicians and rich people. The same can be said for much of Banksy's artwork, which is largely anti-capitalist, anti-consumerist, and anti-imperialist. What better way to hold your middle finger up at the financial institutions who betrayed us than to create your own fiat currency?

Simultaneously Famous

Both are suspected to have been active since the 1990s, followed by their most popularized work, which can be best described as inherent rebukes of the financial crisis of 2008.

Satoshi's First Piece of Code and Banksy's Seeming Admission

Look at the image at the beginning of the page. That's a picture of the ‘Genesis Block’, which is the first Bitcoin block to be mined.

In the code you can see the following message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banksÿÿÿÿ”.

When Banksy was asked his identity during an interview with thecoinfront.com, Banksy replied: “I am Satoshi Nakamoto”.