6 sats \ 0 replies \ @tomlaies 4 Dec 2022 \ parent \ on: Mysterious Bitcoin miner shows off oldest signature dated Jan. 2009 bitcoin
Right, there were several cypherpunks on the mailing lists.
And don't underestimate cryptographers from academic circles in the early days - Satoshi themselves were from a university context which you can see through the double spaces in the Whitepaper.
Also there was the larger underground cyber scene from the very beginning. Not unlikely that one of them tried it out