Ross Ulbricht Rockets to Folk Hero Status at Bitcoin 2025—Declares Freedom Fight ’Just Getting Started’
Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht stole the spotlight at Bitcoin 2025, drawing roaring applause as he doubled down on his crypto-anarchist manifesto. The crowd—a mix of true believers and VC tourists clutching overpriced NFTs—ate it up.
Ulbricht’s message cut through the corporate crypto-lite jargon: ’Decentralization isn’t a marketing gimmick for your tokenized loyalty points.’ Ouch. Tell that to the suits in the back hedging their bets with 3x leveraged Bitcoin ETFs.
One thing’s clear: whether you see him as martyr or criminal, Ulbricht’s shadow looms larger than ever. And Wall Street’s still scrambling to monetize the revolution he helped spark.
“There is still more freedom to be won”
Ross revealed that after he appeared at bitcoin conference in 2021 through a phone call from prison, he was thrown into solitary confinement and put under heavy surveillance. But he said it was worth it and it made him feel like that for a moment he broke through the prison. “Today is the mirror image of that,” he noted.
Talking about winning back his freedom, he said, “winning your freedom feels as amazing as losing it feels awful.” Ross declared from the stage that we’re not there yet, there is still more freedom to be won and there’s still more work to be done. “Freedom is worth the struggle,” he added.
Ross is catching up with latest technology
Ross Ulbricht is still catching up with the technology after coming out of a “time capsule.” He noted:
“I effectively went into a time capsule in 2013 and now I’m coming out like Rip Van Winkle. I mean, just a few months ago when I walked out of prison, I’d never seen a drone. I had never experienced VR or chatted with AI.”
Talking about the developments in the crypto industry since he went to prison, Ross said, when he launched Silk Road there was just one exchange you could buy bitcoin on. “Now, it seems like every app I download has a built-in wallet with one-click buying options.” He added that There are dozens of new cryptocurrencies and blockchains, each one fascinating in its own right. “There’s DeFi and Web 3 and now there’s AI to help me navigate it all. It’s nuts.”
In a heartfelt video montage that played before he took the stage, scenes of Ulbricht adjusting to life beyond prison filled the screen. He was seen walking on the beach, learning to surf, sharing quiet moments with his wife and enjoying the newfound freedom.
“Freedom, decentralization and unity”
Ross concluded his speech by reminding the bitcoin community about the three Core principles that they should stick by to grow further – freedom, decentralization and unity. Recalling his time in prison, Ross said that guards and administration like when prisoners are divided, that way it’s easier to rule them. But when the prisoners were united, the administration listened, he added. “When we all went on hunger strike together, they showed up and listened.”
Ross urged the crypto community to not see each other as enemies. “So 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, unity. Stay true to these principles and the future is ours.”
