Last week, Ross William Ulbricht, at the 2025 Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, gave a speech about the principles of freedom, decentralization and unity.
Ross Ulbricht started by talking about his experience in prison and the price difference when he got into prison compared to now.
“When I launch Silk Road, buying a whole bitcoin will set you back less than a dollar,” said Ross. “Pocket change. Can you imagine that? Now they are worth over $100,000 each.”
“Bitcoin’s power comes from the fact that any one of us can mine if we choose to, and any one of us can generate addresses if we choose to,” stated Ross. “Any one of us can send bitcoin to anyone else. We are all on equal footing with Bitcoin. With Bitcoin, we are all free.”
Ross told everybody to stay united and that if we are together we will be able to accomplish anything.
“When I was put in prison for life. I was isolated and weak. I was stripped of everything. Had nothing to give everyone, but you didn’t abandon me. You didn’t forget me. Wrote me letters. You raised money for my defense. When I was silenced, you spoke up against the slender and smearers and in the end when I didn’t know if I would ever get out from behind those thick iron bars. We even got President Trump to see that Bitcoin is the future.”
Ross ended his speech by saying, “please never see each other as enemies. Those that oppose decentralization and freedom love it when we are divided. Stay united. As long as we can agree that we deserve freedom and that decentralization is how we secure it. Then we can be united. We can have each other’s backs. Just like you had mine.”
“Freedom, decentralization and unity,” said Ross. “Stay true to these principles and the future is ours.”
Ross Ulbricht’s Journey: From Life Sentence to Presidential Pardon
Ross Ulbricht became a controversial figure after launching Silk Road in 2011, an online marketplace that used Bitcoin for anonymous transactions. While the site was unfortunately used for selling illegal drugs, it also served as Bitcoin’s first real-world use case, showcasing the power of decentralized, censorship-resistant money.
In 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to double life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His punishment quickly became a symbol of government overreach for many in the tech and the Bitcoin world. Critics argued that his sentence far exceeded the limits of justice, especially considering the nonviolent nature of his crimes.
His pardon, announced shortly after Trump returned to office, is seen as a strong move to honor campaign promises and support Bitcoin’s values of personal freedom and resistance to government overreach. It sparked celebration throughout the Bitcoin community but also reminded advocates that the fight for justice is far from over.
