“Craig Wright feels like he was never good enough,” Van Pelt said.
Even after Dr. Wright failed to provide evidence, he maintained a band of devoted followers online. He claimed in court that he had destroyed the hard drive containing Satoshi's private key, so he could not access it. He described it as an impulsive decision partly related to his autism.
Ayre backed him, and in 2018 he and Dr. Wright launched Bitcoin Satoshi Vision, which traded at about $70 a coin, a fraction of the price of bitcoin. Dr. Wright oversaw its development from the offices of nChain, a company that Ayre funded as a way to turn the partners' ideas for cryptocurrency into a patent portfolio.
At nChain, Dr. Wright was a difficult boss with a tendency to yell, four people who worked with him said. He liked to flaunt his wealth, and he boasted that he had more money than all of Rwanda. nChain employees attended a lavish party in London. At one memorable event organized by Mr. Eyre, guests ate sushi made from the remains of naked women while performers dressed in samurai costumes remained nearby, two people familiar with the matter said.
Despite being rejected by much of the crypto industry, Dr. Wright asserted his claim against Satoshidam in court and pursued the case, accusing Mr. Eyre of helping provide funding. By 2022, his defamation battle had reached Norway, where Magnus Granas, an unknown crypto trader who had accused him of fraud on social media, won a judgment against him. That same year, Dr. Wright also sued Bitcoin's developers, alleging copyright infringement.
Steve Lee, a manager at Block, a company Dorsey co-founded after Twitter, said, “He appears to have enough money and support to financially ruin people by filing expensive lawsuits.'' I can follow through on my threat to do so.” In a court filing last year.
