Adam Back Rejects Claims Satoshi Backed BIP110, Casts Doubt on Assumptions About His Status

Blockstream CEO Adam Back has pushed back against claims that Satoshi Nakamoto supported BIP110, a disputed Bitcoin (BTC) soft-fork proposal. In a July 18, 2026 exchange on X, Back derided the proposal's supporters as the debate nears a key signaling deadline, predicting the fork effort would unravel within weeks after that cutoff. Back also challenged a user's assertion that Nakamoto would still back BIP110 if alive today, calling the premise unfounded. He went further, saying it is not even clear whether Nakamoto is dead, describing claims either way as speculation. Back again denied being Nakamoto, a remark that revived long-running arguments over Bitcoin governance and who can credibly invoke its founding intent. BIP110 is designed to temporarily limit the amount of arbitrary data miners can embed in Bitcoin transactions, an approach aimed at Ordinals-style inscriptions. Miner support remains scant. Current signaling shows 0.86% of blocks in the present difficulty period backing the proposal, well below the 55% threshold required for lock-in. Back mocked supporters for failing to finance the campaign, arguing there was "no money where their mouth is" and suggesting even they recognize the attempt is failing. Mandatory signaling is expected to begin around block 961,632, roughly three weeks from Friday's chain tip near block 958,529. Back said the first mandatory signaling block would likely cause an automatic split, adding that Bitcoin nodes follow the chain with the most cumulative work. In his view, miners would have little incentive to continue building on a lagging chain, leaving the offshoot abandoned—a "Pompeii chain" frozen as a monument to the effort. Bitcoin was trading around $63,944, up 1.43% over the past 24 hours. The latest comments also arrive amid renewed discussion around Satoshi's dormant coins, another recurring flashpoint in debates over identity and influence. Whether BIP110 activates or fades may depend on how many miners change their stance once mandatory signaling begins.