The identity is uncertain. The design record is not.
Why it matters
Separating the documented system from mythology keeps both achievement and limitation visible.
The build
The 2008 paper defined a peer-to-peer electronic cash design; the 2009 software turned it into an operating network whose rules could be inspected and independently implemented.
What proved durable
Bitcoin showed that an open network could maintain a scarce digital bearer asset for years without an issuing company. Its settlement, custody and governance tradeoffs remained real rather than disappearing.
Disputed and evolving
Whether Bitcoin is primarily cash, collateral, reserve asset or political technology remains contested. The disappearance of its author reduced founder control, but did not eliminate influence from developers, miners, businesses, holders and regulators.
Follow next
Watch security budgets, custody concentration, fee markets, scaling adoption and whether governance can coordinate necessary upgrades without turning one group into a hidden administrator.