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Originators of proof-of-workCryptography foundations✓ Verified
Cynthia Dwork & Moni Naor
First proposed making computation a cost — in 1992.
Known as Cynthia Dwork, Moni NaorActive Jan 1992 →
Why they matter
The idea Adam Back later crystallized as Hashcash and Satoshi turned into mining — that you can price an action in computation — starts here.
Profile
Computer scientists whose 1992 paper "Pricing via Processing or Combatting Junk Mail" first proposed requiring a moderately hard computation to send email, deterring spam by attaching a real cost to an action. It is the conceptual origin of proof-of-work.