Eyewitnesses at the Crunchies tonight reported seeing a shadowy figure hiding in the eaves of the opera hall, watching the proceedings with a gimlet eye. Perhaps, in light of the Best Technology Achievement going to Bitcoin, Satoshi himself was lurking in the gloom?

GigaOm’s Tom Krazit and Khosla Ventures Keith Rabois awarded the prize to Satoshi stand-in Peter Vessenes, Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation. After less than four years of steady growth, the cryptocurrency is now top-of-mind for most of the Valley as everyone – from twins to pirates – are looking into how to monetize the blockchain.

Since no one person made bitcoin (or did they?) the award goes to the idea and the hard-working men and women around the world who are maintaining, mining, and improving the BTC protocol. It’s also an exciting time for economists who have suddenly become useful again as they try to explain the vagaries of currency pricing.

Now that bitcoin is almost mainstream, it seems like it’s here to stay. We’ll keep you posted if Satoshi swings down on a chandelier and grabs the award from Vessenes hands.

Backstage interview