Ross Ulbricht Takes Bitcoin 2025 Stage with Defiant Message: ’You Didn’t Forget Me’
Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht made a surprise appearance at Bitcoin 2025, drawing cheers and controversy with his unrepentant stance. The convicted entrepreneur—still serving a double-life sentence—delivered a fiery speech via hologram, challenging the crowd to ’remember why Bitcoin was born.’
Ulbricht’s appearance split the room. Libertarians hailed him as a martyr for financial freedom, while regulators muttered about ’unfinished business.’ Meanwhile, Wall Street VCs quietly checked their Bitcoin holdings—just in case this whole ’decentralization’ thing actually catches on.
One thing’s certain: in the crypto world, even prison bars can’t silence a founding myth.
Ross Ulbricht at Bitcoin 2025. Image: Decrypt/André Beganski
“With so much speed and chaos, it’s more important than ever to stay true to our principles. It’s easy to lose sight when everything happens at once and countless things pull at your attention,” he said. “Principles should be simple and few and today, I’ll mention three: freedom, decentralization, and unity. Remember those three.”
As he closed his speech, Ulbricht called for solidarity—not just among Bitcoiners but across the entire cryptocurrency community—and for renewed commitment to the values that had carried both him and the movement this far.
“We can argue, but never see each other as enemies. Those who oppose decentralization and freedom thrive on our division. Stay united,” he said. “If we agree that we deserve freedom and that decentralization secures it, we can stand together. Have each other’s backs, as you had mine. Freedom, decentralization, unity—stay true to these, and the future is ours.”
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
