An explosive email leaked by former nChain CEO Christen Ager-Hanssen alleges that self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Craig Wright threatened billionaire Calvin Ayre over the matter of holding private keys to Satoshi’s BTC fortune.
In a Twitter post on October 1st, Ager-Hanssen cited a September 23rd email forwarded to him by Ayre. In it, Ayre tells Wright that while he accepts Craig’s explanation about not actually threatening him, their past conversation over Bitcoin keys was “very intense.”
The leaked email provides a rare glimpse into the frayed relations between the two former allies, who had a fallout over Craig’s inability to conclusively prove he is Satoshi Nakamoto by moving early Bitcoin mined by its creator.
Ongoing Legal Battles Over Craig’s Bitcoin Claims
Calvin Ayre was previously one of Craig Wright’s biggest supporters and funded many of his efforts to assert he invented Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
But the billionaire later distanced himself from Wright over growing doubts about his claims and inability to provide definitive proof he holds Nakamoto’s private keys.
In the leaked email, Ayre also references ongoing legal conflicts between the two over Craig’s role in founding Bitcoin and ownership of intellectual property.
Doubts Around Craig Being Satoshi Mount
The email leak comes on the heels of Ager-Hanssen’s resignation as CEO of nChain, a firm funded by Ayre that hired Wright as chief scientist to research and patent blockchain innovations.
In his departure announcement, Ager-Hanssen explicitly stated he no longer believes Wright is Satoshi and accused him of manipulating documents to bolster his Bitcoin inventor persona.
These developments cast further doubts on Wright’s heavily disputed assertions of being Nakamoto. The lack of cryptographic proof and his various contradictory claims have led most experts to conclude Craig Wright fabricated the Satoshi link.
But through legal maneuvers and publicity tactics, Wright continues fighting to cement his supposed Bitcoin ties – though critics dismiss these as desperate attempts to perpetuate his Satoshi ruse as evidence increasingly undermines his credibility.
Ayre’s leaked email provides more context around how the heated Bitcoin keys dispute ruptured his business relationships with both Wright and nChain. With doubts mounting worldwide, Wright risks being exposed as a serial fabricator who deceived even his closest former allies.
As Craig Wright’s web of lies around creating Bitcoin continues unraveling, the latest email leak highlights how contentious the Bitcoin keys issue has become between him and estranged former partner Ayre. With his reputation as Satoshi Nakamoto near collapse, Wright may face legal consequences for his years-long charade as the allegations of threats and document forgery pile up.CopyRetry
