Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the controversial darknet marketplace Silk Road, has spoken in public for the first time as a free man. After spending over a decade in prison, Ulbricht made his appearance at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, receiving a warm welcome from the community that never stopped supporting him.
His release was made possible thanks to the pardon granted by President Trump, which ended a sentence that seemed destined to last forever.
A hopeless sentence for Ross Ulbricht
On May 29, 2015, a federal judge sentenced Ulbricht to two life sentences plus 40 years, without the possibility of parole. The sentence was related to his responsibility in the creation and management of Silk Road, a platform that allowed anonymous transactions, often linked to illicit trades.
During his speech at the conference, Ross recalled the darkest moments of his detention:
“There were days when I thought I would die in that horrible cage”,
he confessed with a voice broken by emotion.
The strength of an idea: from solitude to rebirth
Ulbricht emphasized how the idea for which he had sacrificed his freedom has transformed into something much larger: a global movement. “What was just an idea has become a movement so powerful that it managed to free me ten years later,” he said, addressing the audience. For Ross, the concept of freedom has always been at the center of his vision, and today more than ever he recognizes its value: “Regaining freedom is as wonderful as losing it is devastating.”
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During his speech, Ross revealed a significant episode: in 2021, after participating by phone in a conference on Bitcoin, he was punished with isolation and subjected to even stricter surveillance. “But it was worth it,” he said, “because for a moment I felt free.” Today, that feeling has become reality:
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“That was an attempt at spiritual escape, today it is its mirror image.”
Ross Ulbricht finds a completely new world
After eleven years in prison, Ross finds himself in a profoundly changed world. “It’s as if I’ve come out of a time capsule,” he said, comparing himself to Rip Van Winkle, the literary character who wakes up after a long sleep.
“When I entered prison in 2013, I had never seen a drone, I was not familiar with virtual reality, nor had I ever spoken with an artificial intelligence.”
The world of cryptocurrencies has also undergone a radical evolution:
“When I launched Silk Road, there was only one exchange to buy Bitcoin. Now every app seems to have an integrated wallet with one-click purchase options”,
Ross enthusiastically mentioned the birth of new cryptocurrencies, blockchain, DeFi, Web3 and the integration of AI as tools to navigate this new digital universe.
Before his speech, a touching video was shown depicting Ross dealing with his new life. The images portrayed him walking on the beach, learning to surf, spending intimate moments with his wife, and savoring every moment of his ritrovata libertà. A montage that moved the audience and highlighted the transformation of a man who paid a very high price for his ideas.
A message to the community: stay united
Ross concluded his speech with a heartfelt appeal to the Bitcoin community, urging it not to forget the three fundamental principles that must guide it: freedom, decentralization, and unity. He recounted how, even in prison, the unity among the inmates was the only way to be heard by the administration:
“When we were divided, it was easy to control us. But when we united, even with a hunger strike, they listened to us.”
His invitation is clear:
“We must not see each other as enemies. If we can agree that we deserve freedom and that decentralization is the way to achieve it, then we can stay united. We can protect each other, just like you have done with me.”
The future of freedom
Ross reiterated that the path to freedom is not yet complete. “There is still much freedom to be won, and much work to be done,” he stated. But he also assured that the fight is worth it: “Freedom deserves every effort.” His return is not just a story of personal redemption, but also a symbol of the resilience of an idea that has managed to withstand time, bars, and silence.
With his testimony, Ulbricht wanted to remind that the crypto community is not just technology or finance, but also and above all a matter of values. And if these values remain strong, the future can truly belong to those who believe in freedom.
