Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, is set to make his first public appearance since being released from prison earlier this year. He will take the stage at Bitcoin Conference 2025, one of the crypto industry’s most anticipated annual gatherings, scheduled for May 27 to 29 in Las Vegas.
In a post shared Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), Ulbricht confirmed his attendance, writing:
“I am excited to announce that I will be making my first public appearance and speech since my release from prison at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas.”
Ulbricht’s return to public life comes on the heels of a full and unconditional presidential pardon granted by Donald Trump in January. The decision marked the end of a long legal battle that saw Ulbricht become a controversial symbol for both supporters of crypto freedom and critics of darknet activity.
A Polarizing Figure in Crypto History
Ross Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and convicted in 2015 on multiple federal charges related to his operation of Silk Road, a darknet marketplace that allowed users to anonymously buy and sell goods—most notably illegal drugs—using Bitcoin. The platform, accessible only through the Tor browser, was among the first large-scale real-world use cases for cryptocurrency and played a central role in establishing Bitcoin’s early identity as both a libertarian financial tool and a vehicle for underground commerce.
Federal authorities seized approximately 174,000 Bitcoins in connection with the case, worth billions at today’s prices. Ulbricht was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years without the possibility of parole, a punishment that many legal experts, civil liberties organizations, and crypto advocates criticized as disproportionately severe.
Ulbricht’s case became a rallying point for a wide range of crypto proponents and digital rights activists, who argued that he was being punished not just for his actions but as a cautionary example to a new generation of tech entrepreneurs. His release in January 2025 followed years of advocacy, petitions, and legal campaigns aimed at securing clemency.
A Return That Reignites Debate
Ulbricht’s planned speech at Bitcoin Conference 2025 is expected to be one of the event’s headline moments. The conference is known for drawing influential voices from the blockchain world and for spotlighting major policy, technological, and cultural developments within the crypto ecosystem.
For some, Ulbricht remains a heroic figure—a victim of government overreach and a martyr for the ideals of decentralization and privacy. Others continue to view him as a cautionary tale about the ethical gray zones and legal dangers of unregulated markets. His reemergence is likely to spark renewed debate about where the line should be drawn between personal liberty, financial innovation, and the rule of law.
His story also arrives at a time when crypto is moving further into the regulatory spotlight. With rising global attention on digital assets and increasing state-level and federal policy activity in the U.S., Ulbricht’s voice may find a new audience eager to wrestle with crypto’s foundational values—privacy, sovereignty, and decentralization—in the face of growing institutional oversight.
Quick Facts
- Ross Ulbricht will speak at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas on May 27–29, 2025.
- This marks his first public appearance since receiving a presidential pardon in January 2025.
- Ulbricht was the founder of Silk Road, a darknet marketplace that operated from 2011 to 2013.
- His case has remained central to debates on digital privacy, cryptocurrency regulation, and sentencing reform.
