Beijing Professor Alleges Bitcoin Was Created by U.S. Intel

Beijing-based educator Jiang Xueqin alleged in recent interviews and a podcast in April 2026 that Bitcoin may have been created by U.S. intelligence agencies, naming the CIA and DARPA. He questioned the anonymous creator, the project’s free global release and the physical infrastructure that supports the network.

Jiang framed his argument around three questions: “who had the capability to build Bitcoin, who benefits from it, and why its creator remained anonymous.” He argued that the technical sophistication of Bitcoin followed by its free release suggested institutional effort rather than a lone developer.

He suggested blockchain technology could have emerged from the same environments that produced the internet and GPS and that intelligence agencies might gain from a system that can support surveillance and covert financial activity.

Jiang also questioned the location and control of the physical servers and databases that underlie Bitcoin, warning that hardware control could translate into system control regardless of the open-source code.

Analysts and developers pointed to Bitcoin’s decentralized design. They noted the network runs on roughly 97,000 independently operated nodes across 164 countries; those nodes validate and relay transactions and prevent a single point of control. Commentators argued that focusing on centralized servers misreads how distributed ledger systems operate and emphasized that the open-source software allows any user to inspect and verify the ledger.

A recent study suggested cryptographer Adam Back could be the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Back rejected that conclusion in a public statement, insisting he did not create Bitcoin. He added that secrecy around the creator may have helped maintain user trust because confirmed government involvement could deter participation.

Jiang’s remarks prompted renewed debate among researchers, developers and cryptocurrency users about Bitcoin’s origins, technical design and the implications of anonymity for governance and trust in public blockchains.