Tether CEO shares petition to restore destroyed Satoshi statue, signatures surpass 1,000 — what’s next?

A Change.org petition shared by Tether’s CEO to restore a vandalized Satoshi Nakamoto statue has just reached more than 1,000 signatures. What’s next for the statue?

In a recent post, CEO of the stablecoin giant, Paolo Ardoino, shared that a Change.org petition asking for the restoration of the Satoshi artwork statue that was vandalized earlier this month has just surpassed 1,000 signatures.

The Tether ( USDT ) CEO posted a link to the petition mere hours ago, with the goal of gaining 1,000 signatures to a public petition that claims to be established by “a group of Lugano residents.” By August 8 on 06:00 AM UTC, the goal was surpassed.

“Lugano needs its Satoshi statue back. 1,000 signatures by tonight *prayer hands*,” wrote Ardoino in his earlier post.

As of August 8 at 11:00 UTC, the petition has received 1,030 signatures.

The Satoshi Nakamoto statue was first discovered missing by Satoshigallery, the creators behind the Satoshi statue. The statue was completely removed from its base, with only two of its feet left behind as it was bolted to the plaque.

Broken pieces of the Satoshi statue found in Lake Ceresio | Source: Lugano’s Plan

The creators offered 0.1 BTC ( BTC ) to anyone who could help recover the life-sized black steel statue that went missing. Within hours of the post, the team reported that the Satoshi statue had been found in shambles in Lake Ceresio. According to one X user named Gritto, the statue was vandalized by a group of drunk youngsters late at night on August 1.

What does the Satoshi statue petition entail?

According to the petition, the original artist who conceived the statue, Valentina Picozzi, has offered to recreate the statue at her own expense. However, the restoration of the Satoshi statue still requires logistical and security support from the city government to make it happen.

Not only logistical support, the petition also asks for the statue to be moved to a new and more secure location that can ensure “visibility, appreciation, and protection of the sculpture.”

Tether’s link to the Satoshi statue in Lugano

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has a personal link to the statue that was found in broken pieces scattered across Lake Ceresio on August 3.

In October 2024, Tether was the one to unveil the life-sized artwork of Bitcoin’s anonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, at the 3rd Annual Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano, Switzerland. The unveiling of the statue came shortly after there was renewed buzz around who the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto could be following the HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery.”

When the broken statue was first discovered, the Tether CEO was one of the first crypto figureheads to celebrate the return of the statue. He reacted to the Satoshigallery’s post with a red heart upon seeing the statue carried onto the back of a truck after it was pulled out of Lake Ceresio.

The original image of the statue of Satoshi before it was destroyed | Source: Lugano’s Plan