Bitcoin’s father threatens Elon Musk’s throne, could become the richest person on the planet

Can a traditionally unowned asset create an untouchable billionaire?

In the world of the super-rich, where Forbes’ list is constantly updated and names like Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault or Jeff Bezos take turns occupying the top position, a “ghost” is quietly rising, threatening to overthrow this order: Satoshi Nakamoto.

The mysterious founder of Bitcoin, who has never revealed himself or withdrawn a single cent from his assets, is owning a huge fortune and its growth rate is astonishing, pushing him to the “unofficial” position of 11th richest person in the world.

But can the “father” of cryptocurrency really surpass Elon Musk to become the richest person on the planet?

From unknown to billionaire Top 11

Satoshi Nakamoto’s assets are not officially recognized by traditional organizations such as Forbes or Bloomberg, because they are in the form of cryptocurrencies in personal wallets, which cannot be publicly verified like stocks.

However, according to analysis by blockchain company Arkham, Satoshi is believed to control around 1.096 million Bitcoins, dispersed across thousands of “dormant” wallet addresses for more than a decade.

On July 14, 2025, when Bitcoin crossed the $120,000 threshold for the first time in history, Satoshi’s fortune skyrocketed to an incredible $132.8 billion. This figure helped him surpass tech mogul Michael Dell (about $125.1 billion) to sit comfortably in 11th place on the world’s richest list, even if only on paper.

The appeal of the story is that Bitcoin continues to see strong price increases, especially with the support of leaders like the US President. The question the market is asking is no longer whether Satoshi will continue to climb the rankings, but when he will challenge for the top positions.

Currently, Elon Musk is firmly in the number 1 position with an estimated fortune of more than $404 billion. For the “ghost” Satoshi Nakamoto to take the throne, the price of each Bitcoin would need to increase by about 208% from the current level, which is to reach the $370,000 mark.

It may sound far-fetched, but in a market known for its volatility and incredible leaps like cryptocurrencies, with growing adoption from major financial institutions, a scarcity of digital assets, and constant inflows of ETFs, nothing is impossible.

Experts also offer promising scenarios. Bloomberg senior analyst Eric Balchunas predicts that if Bitcoin maintains its historical average growth rate of 50% per year, Satoshi could surpass Warren Buffett this year and surpass Mark Zuckerberg by 2026 to become the world’s second-richest person.

Other forecasts are also optimistic, with BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes predicting that Bitcoin could hit $250,000 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise Asset Management, predicts that Bitcoin will hit $200,000 by 2025 due to its scarce supply.

Even 10x Research CEO Markus Thielen believes there is a 60% chance that Bitcoin will increase by 20% in the next two months and reach $133,000 by September 2025.

These numbers show that the possibility of Satoshi Nakamoto surpassing Elon Musk is no longer a pipe dream but a plausible scenario, as long as Bitcoin continues to maintain its growth momentum.

It is worth remembering that there are only 21 million BTC in the market that will ever exist and it is scarcity that is the fundamental driver of price increases in the long term.

Currently, many banks, investment funds and large financial companies have started holding BTC as a hedge asset, even Bitcoin ETFs traded on US stock exchanges have helped cryptocurrencies approach mass capital flows.

Ideal or a hoax?

What makes Satoshi Nakamoto’s story extraordinary and completely different from other billionaires is his absolute silence, a philosophy of life and action that is completely opposite to the world of technology billionaires.

While Elon Musk tweets daily, pumps the market and flaunts projects like SpaceX, xAI, Tesla, Satoshi has chosen to disappear from public view since 2010, after handing over the Bitcoin project to the open source community. Satoshi himself has never moved a single satoshi (the smallest unit of Bitcoin) from his original wallets.

“It’s amazing that the founder of something so successful has never taken a penny of profits,” Balchunas said, comparing this “selflessness” to Jack Bogle, founder of the legendary investment firm The Vanguard Group.

Bogle revolutionized the financial industry by creating low-cost index funds, helping millions of ordinary investors build wealth. Despite creating a trillion-dollar empire, Bogle died with a modest personal fortune, always believing that his mission was to serve investors, not enrich himself.

Did Satoshi have similar ideals? Did he create Bitcoin as a decentralized financial tool, a gift to the world, and was personal enrichment never the goal? Or was it just a genius strategy to maintain Bitcoin’s value and scarcity, keeping the myth of its creator alive?

The biggest question remains: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? While there are many theories, from Jack Dorsey to Craig Wright (whose claims have been dismissed by the courts), Satoshi’s identity will likely forever remain a mystery.

But his legacy is clear. Satoshi Nakamoto not only created a trillion-dollar asset class, but also spawned an entire industry, a financial revolution, and a series of blockchain applications that are changing the global financial structure, contracts, storage, and transactions.

Along the way, he has intentionally or unintentionally turned himself into a billionaire ghost, a living legend who is quietly challenging the richest and most powerful people on the planet, including Elon Musk.

Whether or not Satoshi becomes the world’s richest man, his story will remain a unique chapter in global financial history. This raises an interesting question: Can an asset that cannot be owned in the traditional sense create an untouchable billionaire?