1) Two of the greatest minds of our time… Both solved problems thought to be impossible. Both could’ve been unimaginably rich. Both vanished from the public eye. Grigori Perelman & Satoshi Nakamoto. 🧵👇

2) Perelman proved the Poincaré conjecture, a century-old problem in mathematics. Satoshi created Bitcoin by solving the “Byzantine Generals Problem” in decentralized systems. Both rewrote the rules of their fields.

3) And then? Perelman refused $1M from the Clay Institute. Satoshi left ~1M BTC untouched. At today’s prices, that’s tens of billions.

4) Perelman's reason? Disgust at unethical behavior in academia after colleagues tried to steal credit for his proof, and the community looked the other way. He walked away. Forever.

5) Satoshi’s reason? We don’t know. But by disappearing and never spending coins, he made Bitcoin truly ownerless a money for everyone, not a monument to himself.

6) Both men valued principle over profit. They saw money and fame as distractions from the purity of their work.

7) Perelman lived quietly in St. Petersburg, rejecting interviews, awards, and invitations. Satoshi erased himself in 2011, cutting all contact, never revealing who he was.

8) One chose isolation in the real world. The other chose anonymity in the digital one.

9) Perelman once said: "People like me are isolated… Honest mathematicians tolerate the dishonest, and I can’t stay silent anymore." So he left.

10) Satoshi never said as much but his actions speak louder: No victory lap. No media tour. No cashing out. Just the code, the network, and the keys… untouched.

11) Even their style of work has parallels: - Perelman published directly online, bypassing journals. - Satoshi posted his whitepaper to a cryptography mailing list, bypassing institutions.

12) Both solved their problems outside the traditional system. And both showed that you don’t need permission to change the world.

13) The biggest difference? We know Perelman’s face and name. Satoshi is still a phantom maybe one person, maybe a group, maybe… no longer alive.

14) This has sparked wild theories including the idea that Perelman is Satoshi. Unlikely? Probably. But the parallels make it an irresistible thought experiment.

15) In an age where everyone monetizes their name, their work, their time… Perelman and Satoshi stand as proof: Some ideas are worth more than personal gain.

16) They didn’t just solve problems. They walked away from the rewards. And in doing so, became legends.

17) Perelman showed that truth in mathematics is more valuable than gold. Satoshi showed that money itself can be reinvented and then left it to humanity.

18) In the end, maybe their greatest lesson is this: Genius doesn’t need a spotlight. The work speaks for itself.