|
 Wired magazine, which along with fellow U.S. publication Gizmodo
published a story outing Wright based on a stash of leaked documents
and emails, called him a genius.
But interviews with those who have done business with Wright, and a
closer inspection of documents published by the two technology
websites paint a more complex picture. They point to a smart but
sometimes abrasive figure facing growing legal and financial
problems at least in part caused by his involvement with bitcoin.
While it was not immediately possible to support or refute claims
that he is Satoshi Nakamoto - the person or group credited with
writing the paper, protocols and software that led to bitcoin - some
of those who worked with Wright raised questions about the timing of
the leak and the likelihood that he was Nakamoto.
"It can't be him, there's no way he could have kept quiet about it
this long," said a former senior employee at Hotwire Preemptive
Intelligence, who also detailed Wright's difficulties with
authorities over his Australian businesses' bitcoin dealings.
The former employee, who asked to remain anonymous, citing legal
issues, said the collapse of Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox in
early 2014 had a direct effect on Hotwire, which is registered in
Australia and is in the hands of administrators attempting to
unravel disputes with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
The collapse of Mt. Gox and the disappearance of hundreds of
millions of dollars' worth of bitcoin coincided with a decision by
the ATO, according to the documents, not to regard Wright's bitcoin
as money and that the digital currency therefore was taxable like
any other commodity. This punctured Hotwire's hopes it could recover
more than A$3 million in tax credits and helped sink the company.
"Their cash flow disappeared right around the time Mt. Gox
collapsed," the former employee told Reuters, adding that staff at
Hotwire were told that Wright had funds in a bitcoin trust, in which
he was a beneficiary along with other unnamed parties.
"When they were trying to find cash flow after they were hit by Mt.
Gox, they couldn't sell the bitcoins in the trust to get the
cashflow because they couldn't break this wallet as there are other
trustees."
Wright has not commented publicly on the Wired and Gizmodo reports,
and Reuters' attempts to contact him using various listed email
addresses were unsuccessful. Wright's blog was taken down on
Wednesday, his Twitter and Google+ accounts were deleted and access
to his full LinkedIn profile restricted.
Attempts to reach Wright's lawyer were unsuccessful and another
former Hotwire employee said all staff had been instructed not to
speak to the media.
Wright's whereabouts are unknown. The landlord at his rented Sydney
home told a Reuters reporter that Wright had been due to move out
with his family before Christmas to move to London, where he
recently attended a conference and was, according to his LinkedIn
profile, enrolled for a Master's degree at University of London.
[to top of second column] |
UNMASKING THE MYSTERIOUS NAKAMOTO
The ATO was behind raids by Australian police on Wednesday on
Wright's home and office in Sydney. It declined to provide any
further detail on the raids, citing legal confidentiality.
Administrator McGrath Nicol told creditors last month that the ATO
slapped a A$1.7 million fine on Hotwire over its tax refund claims.
The former Hotwire employee said Wright once paid in bitcoin to buy
a banking platform from a Middle Eastern seller. He then sought to
claim a goods and services tax return, or import credit, in cash
worth millions of dollars which the ATO denied.
Bitcoin experts say that unmasking Satoshi Nakamoto would be
significant for the industry. Not only would the proven founder
likely hold some sway over the future of the bitcoin protocol, but
Nakamoto may also hold enough bitcoin to influence the price of
bitcoin.
"What people are looking for essentially is the Bill Gates of
bitcoin," said David Glance, a director of innovation at the
University of Western Australia and noted bitcoin expert, who doubts
that Wright is Nakamato, pointing to pro-capitalist, anti-hacking
columns Wright wrote for The Conversation, a local publication, in
2011.
After ditching several directorships in July, Wright remains a
director of three companies, including Hotwire, which had sought to
launch the world's first bitcoin bank.
McGrath Nicol noted in one report that the merging of bitcoin and
cash transactions in the web of companies involving Wright "has made
our review more difficult."
Wright's attempt to go offline in recent days contrasts with the
outgoing, self-promoting figure painted by former employees,
neighboring businesses at his Sydney offices and other
acquaintances.
His Youtube account, now also deleted, contained videos of him
rowing in the gym attempting to break records, while his LinkedIn
profile contained a long list of academic qualifications.
Asked about a statement on that profile that Wright was "engaged as
digital forensic expert and trainer with the Australian Federal
Police", the AFP said Wright was engaged to provide a technical
report to support an investigation.
"He was really outgoing, we used to call him Mr. Bitcoin," said an
employee of a neighboring business while Wright's offices were
searched.
(Reporting by Jane Wardell and Jeremy Wagstaff; Editing by Ian
Geoghegan)
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