American tax officials

Chapter 289 Is Steve Jobs Satoshi Nakamoto?

The San Marino residential area.

A car drove in and stopped in front of a detached house with a lawn at the front. The car door opened, and David and his group got out and rang the doorbell.

A moment later, a woman opened the door and asked with a puzzled look, "Who are you...?"

"Madam, we are from the IRS and would like to speak with Professor Rayleigh."

Professor Rayleigh, also known as Rayleigh Poudrean, is a mathematics professor at Caltech and is one of the candidates many suspect may be Satoshi Nakamoto.

The woman looked up and saw David behind Nixon. She showed a hint of unease and then said, "Please come in."

"Have we got guests, Melanda?"

In the living room, a man dressed casually and wearing glasses thought a guest had arrived and placed the book he was holding on the table. But when he turned his head and saw David's face, his expression instantly froze.

However, it only took him two or three seconds to recover. He stood up and greeted them, saying, "Director David, welcome."

"Professor Rayleigh, have I disturbed you?"

"Of course not, please have a seat."

After gesturing for David to sit down, Riley turned to the women and called out, "Miranda, pour a glass of water for Director David and the others."

Name: Riley Pudován.

Occupation: Professor at Caltech.

Income: $2.1 USD per month.

[Income Details: Income derived from salary and bonuses...]

[More details: ...]

Tax payable: 0.

After a closer look, David was slightly disappointed.

This professor named Rayleigh has no connection with Satoshi Nakamoto, so he can be ruled out.

"To be frank with Director David, because my research field is somewhat related to Bitcoin, many people have questioned whether I might be Satoshi Nakamoto over the years. Even people from various departments such as the FBI, CIA, and Treasury have come to me. But in reality, I am not Satoshi Nakamoto, and I don't know who this guy is."

Rayleigh immediately denied it.

David, after examining him, confirmed that what he said was true, and then replied, "Professor Rayleigh, I believe you are indeed not Satoshi Nakamoto. I came here today to ask you if you have any information to provide regarding Satoshi Nakamoto?"

Riley shook his head and said, "All I can provide is what has already been found online and by various departments, so I have nothing to add. However, I really hope that Director David can find this guy. I'm also very curious about who this guy is, that he could create such an incredible currency."

In fact, even if David found Satoshi Nakamoto, if the guy was willing to pay taxes, then according to the principle of confidentiality, he would definitely not reveal the guy's identity.

Of course, to avoid spoiling the professor's mood, he won't say it outright now.

"In that case..."

"Oh, right, Director David, I know that finding out who Satoshi Nakamoto is what you need to do right now, but I think you should also intervene in the Congressional aid bill. It would be more meaningful to use those hundreds of billions of dollars in education and research."

Like many people, Rayleigh did not support the W aid bill, and as someone engaged in education and research, he naturally wanted to use the money in his own field.

"Actually, that's what I think too, Professor Rayleigh, but there's nothing I can do. I'm just the director of the IRS in charge of taxation. I can't say anything about these kinds of national strategic policies."

"No, Director David, those funds were collected by you after all, so your words certainly carry weight..."

In the following period, Riley continued to lobby David relentlessly, hoping that he could put some pressure on Congress.

David kept making excuses and declining, and finally he stood up, too lazy to listen to the other person's nagging anymore. He simply said goodbye and turned to leave.

……

Three more days have passed.

Over the past three days, the buzz surrounding Satoshi Nakamoto has remained high, with the media constantly tracking David's progress and the general public around the world discussing the matter.

Meanwhile, David had been traveling back and forth to various places to investigate more than forty targets, but all to no avail, which made him somewhat impatient.

At 9:00 AM sharp, David arrived at the station and immediately found Nissen and the others, asking, "Who's on duty today?"

"Steve Jobs".

"Steve Jobs?"

David was taken aback when he heard Nissen's answer. Could this be the founder of Apple?

"Yes, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple."

"Was he also a suspected target of Satoshi Nakamoto?"

Among the information submitted by the intelligence department and the CIA, there were hundreds of suspected targets who resembled Satoshi Nakamoto. It was impossible for him to check them all, so he assigned some of the work to Nixon, Bucky, Simmons and a few others. So when he heard that this tech tycoon was also a suspected target of Satoshi Nakamoto, he was naturally very surprised.

"Yes, this is the information I compiled. You'll understand once you take a look, Director."

David took the documents from Nissen and began to examine them. As he looked through the contents, his expression became increasingly unpredictable.

According to a report by FX168 Financial News Agency on October 6, 2017, the late Apple founder Steve Jobs was Satoshi Nakamoto, the father of Bitcoin.

On April 5 of the following year, technology expert Andy said that he accidentally discovered a copy of Satoshi Nakamoto's "Bitcoin White Paper" on his Mac computer. This news sparked all sorts of crazy theories on the Internet, namely that the mysterious creator of the world's largest cryptocurrency might be Steve Jobs.

This classic white paper was published in 2008. In it, the authors outlined the framework for the underlying mechanisms that support Bitcoin, and it was completed without any third-party intermediaries, including banks or financial institutions. This is how "decentralized finance" came to be.

What's even more intriguing is that Satoshi Nakamoto completely disappeared in December 2010, while Steve Jobs passed away in October 2011. Based on the timeline, it's reasonable to conclude that these two were the same person.

And most importantly, as a world-class tech mogul who controls Apple, a top-tier tech company, Steve Jobs is fully capable of developing Bitcoin as a currency.

This explains why Steve Jobs is among the targets suspected to be Satoshi Nakamoto's.

"Wait a minute... Steve Jobs died in 2011. Even if he was Satoshi Nakamoto, how can we verify that?"

David suddenly remembered this question.

"Although he has passed away, if he is the father of Bitcoin, he would definitely have handed over those 110 million Bitcoins and the keys to certain people in the company or his children before he died. We can start our investigation from this point."

Listening to Nissen's words, David also felt that there was some truth to them, and then nodded and said, "You're right, then let's go to Apple first."

At noon, David and his group boarded a flight to San Francisco.

Los Angeles and San Francisco are both in California, and the two cities are only 562 kilometers apart, so the flight arrived in San Francisco in just an hour and a half.

Looking down from the plane, the first thing that catches the eye is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which, like a golden arch, spans the wide sea, connecting San Francisco and Marin County.

Sunlight spilled onto the bridge, reflecting a dazzling light that shone brightly against the surrounding sea, creating a magnificent scene.

Speaking of which, the Golden Gate Bridge is actually a veteran actor. In Hollywood disaster movies, we often see the Golden Gate Bridge either collapsing, burning down, or being used as a toy by Magneto. In short, it's always in various tragic situations.

As the plane approached the city, San Francisco's cityscape became increasingly clear. The densely packed buildings were neatly arranged, with skyscrapers interspersed with old houses, creating a unique architectural style.

In the city center, bustling streets and squares are teeming with people and vehicles, showcasing the city's vitality and prosperity.

South of San Francisco lies the world-famous Silicon Valley.

From the air, Silicon Valley presents a unique atmosphere.

There are large green lawns and woodlands here, giving people a peaceful and refreshing feeling.

Scattered across this lush green land are the headquarters and R&D centers of numerous high-tech companies, whose modern and minimalist architectural styles blend perfectly with the surrounding natural environment.

Among them, the most eye-catching is the Steve Jobs Building, which features an Apple spaceship design and exudes a strong sense of technology.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is about to land at San Francisco SFO Airport. Please take your carry-on luggage..."

About ten minutes after the announcement, the plane landed safely at the airport.

After disembarking from first class, because they did not make any effort to conceal their identities, some sharp-eyed passengers quickly recognized him.

"Oh my god, that's Chief of the IRS, David."

"It really is true. What brings Chief David all of a sudden to Los Angeles?"

"Director David, I'm a fan of yours. Would you mind taking a photo with me?"

Many passengers took out their phones to take pictures, while some more enthusiastic ones surrounded David, wanting to take a photo with him.

Considering that he would be competing for the position of head of the IRS in the future, David needed to show some approachable image, so he did not refuse and waved for Nison Simmons and the others to let these people over.

While he was busy taking photos with fans, some passengers uploaded photos of the scene to the internet, causing an instant uproar online.

"What's going on? Why is Chief David in San Francisco?"

"I heard that Director David has been busy investigating Satoshi Nakamoto lately, and his trip to San Francisco must be for that reason as well."

"It should be. There are indeed several people in San Francisco who resemble Satoshi Nakamoto."

"If we're talking about the most famous person in San Francisco suspected to be Satoshi Nakamoto... it seems to be Steve Jobs of Apple. Could it be that Chief David is investigating Apple this time?"

As news of David's arrival spread, the commotion at the airport grew louder and louder, even causing congestion. An outsider might have thought some international VIP had arrived.

"Director, the car arranged by the State Taxation Bureau is here, in parking space number XX in the underground parking lot."

Before coming here, David had Nissen contact the IRS to arrange a vehicle for him so that he could get around more easily.

"Excuse me, everyone, I have official business to attend to, so I'll stop here for today."

David apologized to the remaining fans, then led Nissen and the others quickly toward the underground parking lot.

Upon arriving at their parking spot, they discovered it was a Toyota Prado. The group then got into the car one by one, started the engine, and headed towards Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Clara Valley. After a half-hour drive, David and his group arrived here.

Interestingly, when the tax audit in Hollywood was completed, many people speculated that the IRS would transfer him to Silicon Valley to conduct a tax audit of the major tech companies there.

But in the end, he wasn't transferred here. Instead, through the investigation of Satoshi Nakamoto, it turns out that he has set foot in this place known as the mecca of global high technology for the first time.

Let's stop here.

Upon hearing David's words, Nissen, who was driving, paused for a moment, then reminded him, "Chief, we're still quite a distance from Apple's headquarters."

"It's alright, we'll walk there."

Having come all the way to Silicon Valley, he wanted to use his external tools to thoroughly examine the place and see just how deep the waters were in the tax system.

Nissen didn't dare say anything more and quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Not long after he got out of the car, some people here quickly noticed David's arrival. However, most of the people who can enter Silicon Valley are elites who are used to seeing big names like Bezos and Cook. They were not as crazy and enthusiastic as the fans at the airport.

As he traveled along, David gained a better understanding of the local tax situation by observing the elites of various technology companies through the app.

Strictly speaking, Silicon Valley doesn't have the same serious tax situation as Hollywood, but due to Silicon Valley's sheer size...

Therefore, if a thorough tax audit is conducted here, the amount of money that can be collected will be many times greater than that of Hollywood.

However, on the other hand, companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook in Silicon Valley are American and even global tech giants.

The resistance to conducting a tax audit here would be ten or even a hundred times greater than that in Hollywood.

Of course, it's too early to talk about conducting a tax audit here, especially since David's jurisdiction isn't here and he doesn't have the authority to handle the taxes here. We can only wait until later.

(End of this chapter)