[Gosper]

You can directly inspect the Bitcoin blockchain. The genesis block pointedly includes the headline it does to demonstrate it could not have been created before 3 Jan 2009.

After that date the blocks Satoshi produced, as a requirement to process and validate transactions to bootstrap the network were simply mined not pre-mined, in a manner open to all.

They could indeed transact in the future. Although I suspect at this juncture should that ever occur it would be to make a political statement since I find people of that intellectual bent tend to be poorly motivated by base material wants. Anyhow, that's pointless gossipy speculation.

[mcculley]

Ah. Yes, I had in my mind a sloppy, incorrect meaning of “premine”.

My point remains the same for questioning the intent of the founders. We have no idea what Satoshi might do with the power he has in the form of early blocks.