Ross Ulbricht reported his martyrdom in his first public appearance after leaving prison

Ross Ulbricht, the well -known creator of Silk Road who was sentenced to prison and whose judicial penalty was pardoned by Donald Trump when he took the position of president -elect, offered some words during the Bitcoin Conference 2025, where he gave the last presentation of the Convention.

In the presentation, which was tested in detail from start to finish, the renowned Bitcoiner made a chronology of his history, remembering how exact ten years ago he was in court, in front of a judge of the United States, being sentenced to two perpetual chains for more 40 years and without the right to probation. He also recalled the beginnings of Silk Road, how he ventured into the cultivation of psilocibious fungi and other anecdotes. He said he was 31 when he was arrested, and that if everything had followed his course, he would have died in prison.

«On the other hand, I am here, with you. Only a few months ago I was caught between the walls of the prison. Not knowing if I would ever come out. And now I am free, ”said Ulbricht, who thanked the community congregated at the conference. Then Ross thanked President Trump for considering that with his case an injustice and pardon had been committed, and proceeded to enumerate the positive qualities that he, he considers, has the president of the United States.

Silk Road’s creator commented that he had a participation in the Bitcoin Conference 2021, remotely, through a call from prison. He also said that this call caused him to lose «more of his freedom», since the prison administration I would have sent it to lonely confinement. After leaving «from the hole», this administration would have increased surveillance over the following years.

«Connecting with you that day you felt very, very good. It is as if a part of me had gone through the walls of the prison and escaped, although only for a short time ». Subsequently, he reported some of the accumulated emotions and experiences during his jail journey, both when he was convicted and when experiencing freedom for the first time, after pardon. «It is worth fighting for freedom,» said Ulbricht.

«When I launched Silk Road, buying an entire bitcoin cost less than one dollar. Calderilla (…). And now it costs more than $ 100,000 each. So, there was only one exchange where you could buy it (…). And now it seems that each application that I download has a native wallet that allows you to buy it with a single click. There are now dozens of new cryptocurrencies and blockchains each fascinating in their own right, and thousands of which I do not have time to learn. There are defi, web3, and now there is artificial intelligence to help me navigate everything? It’s crazy! I was definitely in a time capsule in 2013, and now I’m dating as Rip van Winkle. That is, only a few months ago when I left prison, I had never seen a drone, experienced with virtual reality glasses, and I haven’t done it yet. He had not talked with the AI. Everything is hitting me at the same time ».

Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road.

«Rip van Winkle» is a story by Washington Irving about a fictional villager that falls asleep in the mountains and wakes up 20 years later, When the world is another.

Ross commented that in what is again, it is about, he feels behind, and assured that it seems that everything moves very fast in the world he got after leaving prison. I also mention the three principles that remain in force, and that people of the bitcoin ecosystem should adopt: Freedom, decentralization and unity. These three principles gave their paper in the Bitcoin Conference 2025, where he also had words for Bitcoin as freedom technology.

«Bitcoin does not work without freedom. Bitcoin’s power comes from the fact that any of us can undermine if we decide. Anyone can generate addresses, if we want. Anyone can send bitcoins to others (…). With Bitcoin, we are free, ”said Ross Ulbricht.