✈ Ross Ulbricht downsizes

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Second chances are increasingly rare in today’s world. But they do happen.

On Sunday evening, it was one year since then-Presidential candidate Trump pledged to commute the double-life sentence of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, live on stage at the Libertarian National Convention at the Washington Hilton. 

Eight months later, on his second day in office, Trump one-upped himself by granting Ulbricht a full and unconditional pardon, releasing him from prison after serving 12 years. 

#FreeRoss worked. Now, Ulbricht is set to publicly address the Bitcoin world for the first time since his release this Friday, at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas.

Ross has been free for four months. Throughout that time he’s kept up the habit of documenting his experiences, which he shares on X.

Reading over his tweets gives an insightful look into the effects of incarceration. Ross tweeted in March: “For over a decade, I didn't have water fixtures that I could turn off and on. In prison, everything is on buttons with timers.”

“After nearly two months in freedom, I still find myself staring at faucets and shower heads, waiting for them to turn off! So weird.”

Ross has also shared a string of “firsts” since his release: First birthday and Mother’s Day. First time touching grass with his bare feet. First cheeseburger. And soon, the first Bitcoin conference.

“My big speech at Bitcoin 2025 is just a week away, but I am feeling surprisingly serene about it. I'm just looking forward to connecting with so many of you at once. It feels like I am coming home,” he tweeted last week.

Ross is also preparing for a period of travel, which “means downsizing and turning the page.”

He initially sought to auction off some of his personal belongings on eBay, but Ross struggled to verify his identity in order to actually sell anything. He’s since turned to Scarce City, the Bitcoin-powered collectibles marketplace, where he’s listed 13 artifacts from his life before and after his time behind bars.

There’s his prison sneakers, sweatsuit and t-shirt (the latter two come with a laundry bag), and three of his oil paintings created in prison, each one a collaboration with another inmate, Omega, who taught him techniques. Ross’s prison notebook is also up for sale, his prison locker lock and three ID cards, two featuring him with a full beard. 

Capping off the auction are a trio of items with clear sentimental value: a down sleeping bag, djembe drum and backpack, including a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes. Each item was used leading up to Ulbricht’s 2013 arrest in San Francisco.

The auctions run for another three days and have so far attracted bids totaling 0.2875 BTC ($31,500). Something tells me those figures will rise heading into Friday.

— David

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