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On this day 14 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin's pseudonymous founder, made his last known post on the Bitcoin forum. According to Bitcoin historian Pete Rizzo, Satoshi ceased activity on the discussion platform as he logged off the following day, Dec. 13, 2010, never to return.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s final post on the Bitcoin forum on Dec. 12, 2010, and subsequent disappearance on Dec. 13 of the same year marked a defining moment in Bitcoin’s history. Satoshi’s departure shifted the responsibility of Bitcoin’s development and governance to its decentralized community.
✨ Exactly 14 years ago today, Satoshi Nakamoto made his final post on the #Bitcoin forum.
— The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_) December 12, 2024
The next day, he logged off forever, never to return 💫 pic.twitter.com/y79Cp8Huak
Fourteen years later, Bitcoin remains a testament to the power of decentralized technology, thriving without its creator’s direct involvement. The leading cryptocurrency has evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar asset class, inspiring the creation of thousands of cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based apps.
To this day, Satoshi Nakamoto’s true identity remains unknown. Speculation has ranged from a single individual to a group of developers, but no conclusive evidence has emerged.
Bitcoin's remarkable journey
Bitcoin has gone from a fraction of a cent to $100,000, a monument to its remarkable journey from a small corner of the internet to a piece of globally important financial infrastructure.
According to Glassnode, the Bitcoin network has grown by leaps and bounds since the Genesis Block, achieving a market capitalization of $2 trillion, flipping silver in value and settling $131 trillion in volume via 1.12 billion transactions.
Throughout this era of exceptional market boom, investors have realized a total of $1.27 trillion in profit and -$592 billion in losses on-chain, resulting in a cumulative net capital inflow of $750 billion, highlighting the tremendous value that has flowed into the Bitcoin network over its lifetime.
On Dec. 5, notable aggregate balances included 1.8 million BTC (9.1% of the supply) held on exchanges and 1.1 million BTC (5.6% of the supply) managed by U.S.-based ETFs, indicating exceptional growth since their launch on Jan. 11, 2024. Furthermore, miners (excluding Patoshi) possessed 700,000 BTC (3.5% of the supply), whereas the U.S. Treasury had 187,000 BTC (0.9% of the supply), demonstrating the vast spread of ownership across various entities.