I have more and more doubts that some geniuses are solving the puzzle. In my opinion, starting from the 120bit solution, the creator does all this. To keep the interest in his mystery alive. If you compare the sequence of events (dates of decisions, increase in the prize), then everything adds up to a logical picture. Now it is more profitable to use computing power for the inference of neural networks, for their training, rather than for searching for a needle in a haystack with an unknown result. And here you need very large computing power, which will cost a lot to rent.
Honestly, I don't think it was the creator who withdrew the funds. Someone who over the years didn't stop the challenge despite having the private keys - he could have withdrawn them with multi-million profits, and instead deposited dozens of BTC to each address shows that the creator is a person who sleeps on cash and is like oxygen to him - obviously he is and that he will never take it away. So I don't think that someone stopped achieving the ultimate goal of creating this challenge by fawning over change... especially since finding 120,125,130 does not bring anything positive in the perspective of the entire challenge... especially since we don't know of any solutions that he could skillfully announce while making progress towards achieving the goal.
I think the finder is someone who reads us here, but does not share the results or methods of action, because so far she has successfully gained $2 million on it using her excellent method of breaking subsequent thresholds. In other words - for safety's sake she is silent, because she simply -> plans to top up those $2 million with subsequent levels. If we live to see #160, there is a chance that we will learn the solutions.
That's what I thought at first, too. However, it is extremely doubtful that there is any "hidden mathematical genius" in the world. He would have received more money and recognition if he had made his discoveries public. I also think it is extremely stupid to use large computing resources to solve the puzzle, when they can be rented out for inference or neural network training and guaranteed to make a profit.
So the version of a great mathematician who solves puzzles in some new way on a single video card is questionable as well as the version of a businessman who prefers to play the lottery instead of a stable business. Then it remains a logical option that the creator of the puzzle (perhaps it is not one person, but an organization) stimulates the "bait" ("look, someone found the key, so it's possible!") to work on testing the security of bitcoin.
There is another option - a quantum computer and Shor's algorithm are used, then it is definitely some organization testing its power.
Or someone simply noticed the lid does more than keep the liquid in. I have made more progress by simply eliminating parts that it could not be, reducing the key space by logical means. All keys with repeating prefixes, all with more than two repeating characters. I'm sure after removing all those false positives. The reduced key space hardly takes a "hidden mathematical genius". Though all my work is done, on a single graphics card on a laptop. I believe any solutions happening at this moment is due to the collimation of over four years of continual presistance and well mapped logic in isolated sectors in calculated sub-ranges.