Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road, gave a fiery speech at the Bitcoin 2025 conference, just months after being granted a pardon. Ulbricht, who had been sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years in prison for his role in creating the Silk Road, was overwhelmed by the changes in the world, Bitcoin, and technology that had occurred during his imprisonment.
“Just a few months ago, I was trapped behind those prison walls, not knowing if I would ever get out,” Ulbricht shared with a deeply emotional audience. “Now I’m free, and it’s because of you—the Bitcoin community.”
Ulbricht took a moment to thank the very community that had supported him throughout his time in prison. “You didn’t abandon me. You didn’t forget me. You wrote me letters. You raised money for my defense. When I was silenced, you spoke up against the slander and smears,” he said, visibly choked up.
Ulbricht referred to his pardon as a miracle, noting the overwhelming changes in the world since his incarceration. He had been imprisoned since 2013, and by the time he was released in early 2025, the world had undergone a significant transformation, with new technologies like virtual reality, drones, and artificial intelligence taking center stage. Comparing his experience to Rip Van Winkle’s, he observed, “I went into a time capsule in 2013.”
Ulbricht added that the freedom, the technology, and the fact that he has a future again are all hitting him at once. His release came after years of campaigning, led by his mother, Lyn Ulbricht, who had spearheaded the Free Ross movement, including a Change.org petition with over 600,000 signatures.
On January 21, 2025, then-candidate President Donald Trump approved a pardon for Ulbricht, allowing his freedom following years of lobbying by his supporters. Trump pledged to liberate Ulbricht during his presidential campaign, which he kept in an attempt to win over the Bitcoin community.
Ulbricht remarked that President Trump’s recognition of an injustice was necessary. He said, “I’m thankful we elected him. He’s a man who does what he says—he said he’d free me, and he did. He’s a man of integrity.”
Despite his harrowing years behind bars, Ulbricht used his platform at Bitcoin 2025 to deliver a message of unity and the importance of staying true to the movement’s core principles: freedom, decentralization, and unity.
He raised the issue of solidarity among the broader cryptocurrency community, urging Bitcoiners to remain united despite differences. In his closing remarks, Ulbricht reiterated the importance of maintaining the values that had not only carried him through his prison sentence but had also fueled the entire Bitcoin movement.
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