<p>The creator, Satoshi Nakamoto (referred to as a "he" hereafter even though it might be a woman or a group of individuals), seems to have mined many of the early Bitcoin blocks. There have been several analyses identifying blocks mined by a specific single program, based on the nonce and so on, and it is mostly rational to assert that this was Satoshi.</p>

<p>There are other theories as to who this miner is, but it is naive to imagine that the system's creator wouldn't at least be somewhat interested in mining and supporting the network, and the evidence is consistent with that.</p>

<p>Either way, those mined coins have not moved as yet, and it is possible that he burned the private keys for them.</p>

<p>Of course, it is likely that there are other blocks he mined that have not been identified as his, and he has a reasonably sized stash he can spend as he sees fit.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T10:08:56.023Z
Analyses exist that show a sequence of blocks likely mined by the same continuously running software. The fact that this person is Bitcoin's creator is an assumption, as the pattern only started several hours after the release of the first software version.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T15:55:16.580Z
@PieterWuille thanks, that's better phrasing than mine.
Riaan Swart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-27T13:21:51.393Z
Not just phrasing, I think your answer is wrong. You're presenting an assumption as fact.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-28T05:36:17.313Z
@PieterWuille I've adjusted my phrasing accordingly.
Riaan Swart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T02:38:15.947Z
2016-05-28T05:35:44.043Z
2016-05-28T05:35:44.043Z
Riaan Swart
<p>The only people that make money directly from the Bitcoin network are miners; as a reward for helping run and secure the network.</p>

<p>There is no connection between the creator and the Bitcoin network. There never have been since the same rules apply to all. Satoshi and other early miners got a lot of bitcoins quite easily early on (similar to investing in a successful company when it had a couple of employees). </p>

<p>Indirectly, several people make money providing bitcoin services (e.g. exchanges, ATM providers, etc.).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-26T07:17:43.573Z
Care to explain the downvote??
karask
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T10:29:34.173Z
2016-05-25T10:29:34.173Z
karask
<p>Is the exchange the only people making money of the purchasing of bitcoin or is the creator profiting as well?</p>

<mining-reward><satoshi-nakamoto><wealth-distribution>
how does the creator of Bitcoin get paid?
user35955
# how does the creator of Bitcoin get paid?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-24)

Is the exchange the only people making money of the purchasing of bitcoin or is the creator profiting as well?

**Tags:** mining-reward, satoshi-nakamoto, wealth-distribution


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-05-25. Score: 3

The creator, Satoshi Nakamoto (referred to as a "he" hereafter even though it might be a woman or a group of individuals), seems to have mined many of the early Bitcoin blocks. There have been several analyses identifying blocks mined by a specific single program, based on the nonce and so on, and it is mostly rational to assert that this was Satoshi.

There are other theories as to who this miner is, but it is naive to imagine that the system's creator wouldn't at least be somewhat interested in mining and supporting the network, and the evidence is consistent with that.

Either way, those mined coins have not moved as yet, and it is possible that he burned the private keys for them.

Of course, it is likely that there are other blocks he mined that have not been identified as his, and he has a reasonably sized stash he can spend as he sees fit.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Analyses exist that show a sequence of blocks likely mined by the same continuously running software. The fact that this person is Bitcoin's creator is an assumption, as the pattern only started several hours after the release of the first software version.  
> **username_1**: @PieterWuille thanks, that's better phrasing than mine.  
> **username_2**: Not just phrasing, I think your answer is wrong. You're presenting an assumption as fact.  
> **username_1**: @PieterWuille I've adjusted my phrasing accordingly.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2016-05-25. Score: 2

The only people that make money directly from the Bitcoin network are miners; as a reward for helping run and secure the network.

There is no connection between the creator and the Bitcoin network. There never have been since the same rules apply to all. Satoshi and other early miners got a lot of bitcoins quite easily early on (similar to investing in a successful company when it had a couple of employees).

Indirectly, several people make money providing bitcoin services (e.g. exchanges, ATM providers, etc.).

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Care to explain the downvote??  

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