That's a possibility, but if you read some of the early emails, Satoshi was at least theorizing the value of bitcoin if it was used as the world's only currency (I think to make sure there were enough units - which I believe are 54 bits, the mantissa of a 64 bit double). The recorded conversations seem to indicate that he knew exactly how much a more ideal form of money could be worth.

Then again, Satoshi might own a lot of btc that isn't wrapped up in the genesis blocks and he could have plenty of money to wait until bitcoin either dies or matures to the point where he doesn't have to expose himself as much by moving them.