Is this the end of Bitcoin?

THE END OF BITCOIN AS WE KNOW IT (AGAIN!!!)

On July 4th, while politicians celebrated freedom by inventing new ways to limit it…

Something ancient lurched deep in the Bitcoin blockchain.

80,000 Bitcoin vanished from eight wallets that hadn’t as much as twitched in 14 years.

No warning. No trumpet sounds. Just an $8.6 billion silent exit. The crypto world freaked out.

Many asked:

Is Satoshi back?

Before we get into what this means for Bitcoin… let’s rewind a bit.

Satoshi Returns?

Quick recap if you’re new here: Nobody knows who created Bitcoin.

He called himself Satoshi Nakamoto. Could be one person. Could be a team. Could be an AI from the future running on a ThinkPad in a cave in Iceland.

Whoever it was mined over a million BTC in the early days—then disappeared.

No interviews. No selfies. No TED Talk.

Gone.

Those coins? Never moved. Ever. They’ve just sat there like a loaded gun on the coffee table of the internet.

BUT…

Important Myth-Busting Interlude

Contrary to popular thought, Satoshi’s coins aren’t in one giant wallet.

They’re scattered—thousands of addresses, 50 BTC each. (Because that’s how mining worked during Bitcoin’s early days.)

Satoshi mined ~22,000 blocks for 50 BTC. Never reused addresses. Never spent a single coin. Satoshi’s famous stash is a digital graveyard of untouched treasure.

Though old, those eight Independence Day wallets weren’t from that pile.

So why did people think it was Satoshi? Because these were Satoshi-era coins—untouched since he vanished from the forums.

The kind of coins that aren’t supposed to move unless something big is happening.

The Weirdest Part?

Before the 80,000 coins moved, something bizarre happened: the wallets received a message.

Most people don’t know this, but…

Bitcoin has a feature called OP_RETURN. It lets you write a short note directly onto the blockchain—like graffiti in a ledger.

Someone used this to send tiny “dust” transactions to these old wallets, leaving messages.

Messages like:

“LEGAL NOTICE: We have taken possession of this wallet.” And, “If it’s not abandoned, prove it with a signed transaction by Sept 30.”

The message linked to a site, Salomonbros.com, claiming “constructive possession.”

Basically: Prove it’s yours or lose it, nerd.

Whoever held the keys apparently got the messages and moved the coins. All 80,000 BTC.

But it wasn’t a hack. It was a bluff. A psychological jab.

So why do it?

Theory 1: Phishing for Whales

It’s the same tactic as those weird scam texts: “Hey Ruth, still thinking about our deal?”

They know your name probably isn’t Ruth. They just want to know if the number is active (step one). They want to know if you’re naive enough to react (step two).

And if you’re prone to panic, they want to know if they can exploit it now or down the road (step three).

Same deal here.

Theory 2: Government Probe

But maybe it wasn’t scammers at all. Maybe it’s a quiet government operation—poke the chain, watch what moves.

And something did.

Theory 3: I’m Wrong. Salomon Bros Are For Real

I’m not wrong. Saloman Bros is a scam.

Follow the Coins

Blockchain analysts traced the BTC.

Not to shady mixers that hide your actions. Not to some sketchy decentralized exchange in the crypto jungle.

But to Galaxy Digital—an institutional-grade OTC desk.

The kind of place billionaires go when they want to unload billions without tanking the price.

As of now:

1. Galaxy took 40,000 BTC, maybe already sold

2. Binance and Bybit hold 6,000 BTC

3. The rest is sitting still

That’s not a panic sale. That’s a professional unwind.

What If It Was Satoshi?

It wasn’t Satoshi who moved the coins, but…

Let’s play it out.

If even one coin from Satoshi’s known stash moved, it would likely trigger a panic.

It’d be a full-blown headline meltdown. You will never see more exclamation points in your entire life.

“Satoshi Sells!!! Confidence in Bitcoin Shattered!!!”

“Bitcoin’s God Just Spoke!!! Traders Are Freaking Out!!!”

“Satoshi Just Broke the Internet!!! (And the Market)!!!”

“EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT BITCOIN IS A LIE!!!”

Panic. Selling. Retweets.

But eventually? Recovery.

Why It Would Make Bitcoin Stronger

Ironically, Bitcoin’s greatest test isn’t regulation or a market crash. It’s not even quantum computing.

Bitcoin’s real final boss is its first believer.

The whole narrative of Bitcoin—the thing that gives it cultural gravity—is that it was created… and then abandoned.

Satoshi’s absence gave Bitcoin something no altcoin, no central bank, no Silicon Valley startup could ever replicate:

Purity. Immaculate conception.

But that purity comes at a price. It’s also a sword of Damocles hanging over every die-hard Bitcoiner’s head.

What if he returns?

If Bitcoin can survive Satoshi selling—even just one little Bitcoin—it proves the system works even when the mythology breaks.

So no, this probably wasn’t him.

But if it ever is? I hope he cashes out.

Because the only thing stronger than a legend? The thing that outlives it.

And I, for one, will buy the dip.

Author: Chris Campbell

Source: AltucherConfidential