Craig Wright, born Craig Steven Wright, is the founder of Bitcoin SV and Chief Scientist of nChain, a blockchain research and development firm founded in 2015. He was born in October 1970 in Brisbane, Australia, but has lived in the United Kingdom since 2019. Wright grew up in Australia, where he attended Padua College in Brisbane and graduated from high school in 1987. He has several advanced academic degrees in diverse fields, along with several major industry certifications. ^[1][2][3]

Life and Education

Craig Wright is an Australian born and raised in Brisbane. He was an adjunct academic and researcher at Charles Sturt University (CSU), where he worked on his Ph.D. entitled "The Quantification of Information Systems Risk." He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science and Economics in 2014 and graduated in February 2017 from CSU. Wright was awarded a Doctor of Theology (ThD) in 2003 from United Theological College. He is currently a candidate for two additional PhDs in law at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and applied mathematics at the Conservatoire National des Arts et métiers (CNAM) in Paris, France. ^[4]

In addition, he has master’s degrees in statistics (from the University of Newcastle, Australia), quantitative finance (from the University of London-SOAS), information security systems (from Charles Sturt University), international commercial law (from the University of Northumbria), political science (from Liberty University), network and systems administration (from Charles Sturt University), IS engineering (from Sans Technology Institute), and IT management (from Charles Sturt University). His industry certifications include GSE CISSP, CISA, CISM, CCE, GCFA, GLEG, GREM, and GSPA. Wright has written and co-written several books and is a trustee of the Uniting Church of New South Wales. ^[4][5]

Craig Wright, during graduation from one of the colleges where he holds a master's degree

Wright is a strong supporter of Bitcoin (BTC). He created Bitcoin SV when Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the first fork of Bitcoin, underwent a hard fork in 2018. Though the identity of the creator of Bitcoin is unknown, the pseudonymous author of Bitcoin’s whitepaper, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been attributed. Over the years, many leading figures in the crypto and blockchain space have been suspected of being Satoshi Nakamoto at one point or another (though nearly all have denied the claim), and Craig Wright has publicly claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto himself. However, many don’t believe his claims, but some support him. For instance, the director of the Bitcoin Foundation, Gavin Andresen, corresponded with Nakamoto while doing initial programming work in Bitcoin, saying:

I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Wright was Satoshi.

While this might be true, Wright himself has failed to provide any concrete evidence. He had sued people, including Vitalik Buterin, who accused him of lying about being the inventor of Bitcoin and other Bitcoin-related controversies. ^[6][7][8]

Craig Wright's Achievements

Despite all the controversies and legal issues surrounding Wright, he has achieved notable accomplishments. With more than 30 years of experience in the fields of information technology and IT security, he has personally conducted more than 1,200 engagements for hundreds of private and governmental organizations, including 15 Commonwealth states. He has worked on systems protecting the Australian Stock Exchange and helped design the architecture for the world’s first online casino (Lasseter’s Online in Australia). He has also held senior executive positions with companies focused on digital currency, IT security, and digital forensics, including the title of vice president of the Center for Strategic Cyberspace and Security Science. He currently holds the position of chief scientist at nChain Inc., a blockchain research and development company that developed Bitcoin SV. He oversees the scientific functions of the company, including basic and applied research projects and the development of new processes, products, and technologies. ^[9][10]