Here’s a look at two of the most talked-about theories about who actually created Bitcoin:

1. The “Single Genius” Theory

This one points to a lone mastermind—often pegged as Nick Szabo or Hal Finney—who published the white paper under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto.” Szabo’s work on “bit gold” in the late ’90s is eerily similar to Bitcoin’s design, and Finney was literally the first person to run the Bitcoin software and receive a test coin from Satoshi. Fans of this theory argue that only one brilliant coder with deep crypto chops could have cooked up Bitcoin’s elegant mix of cryptography and economics.

2. The “Secret Team” Theory

The other camp believes Bitcoin was the brainchild of a small group of cryptographers—maybe even an intelligence agency like the NSA—who wanted a decentralized digital cash system. Proponents point to the protocol’s sophisticated privacy and security features that almost feel “too good” for a lone developer. Plus, Satoshi’s vanishing act in 2010 hints at an organized cover-up.

At the end of the day, we may never know for sure—but that mystery is part of Bitcoin’s charm. $BTC