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At the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, attendees listened to the first phone interview with the Silk Roadâs Ross Ulbricht from the depths of the maximum-security prison in Tucson, Arizona. During the interview, Ulbricht spoke about bitcoin and how the decentralized crypto asset is âtransforming the global economy.â Following the phone call, Ulbricht was placed in the hole according to the official Free Ross Twitter account.
Ross Ulbricht Speaks About Bitcoin in His First Interview from Prison
Ross Ulbrichtâs voice was heard by the attendees who went to the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami this year. The recent interview was recorded by Bitcoin Magazine and is the first recorded phone conversation with Ulbricht after his arrest. Ulbricht touched upon the loss of his freedom and noted that from his confinement heâs âspent the last eight years watching Bitcoin grow up from in here.â
During the phone call, Ulbricht noted that he was around during the Bitcoin networkâs nascent days and at that time there were not many altcoins and forks. Ulbricht said with all that aside he looked at the crypto ecosystem as one big âfamily.â Through his lens in prison, Ulbricht detailed that heâs seen the cryptocurrency space invoke lots of innovation since his departure. Ulbricht stated:
Iâve seen incredible innovation. Iâve seen inspiring courage. We didnât know how things would turn out for Bitcoin back in the beginning, but over the years, Iâve been continually impressed with what youâve accomplishedâ We are transforming the global economy. We have brought a taste of freedom and equality to far corners of the world. I know we can transform criminal justice, too.
Ulbricht: âBitcoin Is Strong. Bitcoin Is Powerful. Our Work Is Not Overâ
Ross Ulbrichtâs case has been called a âmiscarriage of justiceâ and more than 250 organizations, eminent individuals and global leaders have shown support for Ulbricht. The creator of the Silk Road marketplace has one of the largest Change.org petitions in the U.S., as the petition has been signed by 433,845 individuals to date. The petition is seeking clemency for Ulbricht as his offenses were non-violent and his âinvestigation, trial and sentencing were rife with abuse.â Ulbricht spoke about the Silk Road during his phone call with Bitcoin Magazine and said:
I thought with Bitcoin, I could try and do something that actually makes a differenceâ Back then, I was impatient. I rushed ahead with my first idea, which was Silk Road⊠Thatâs a 26-year-old who thinks he has to save the world before someone beats him to it. I had no idea Silk Road would work, but now we all know it caught on. It was used to sell drugs, and now Iâm in prison.
Ulbricht also said that it was ironic that he created the Silk Road because he wanted to further âfreedom, privacy, [and] equality.â But what happened was he âwound up in a place where those things donât exist.â Meanwhile, he sees a lot of potential with bitcoin and the crypto participants, in general, because he believes âBitcoin is strong.â
âBitcoin is powerful. We are powerful. And our work is not over,â Ulbricht stressed. Following the phone call interview, the Free Ross Twitter account detailed that Ulbricht was recently put in the hole.
âRoss has been put in the SHU (aka âthe holeâ) after a recorded interview he did over the phone with [Bitcoin Magazine] was broadcasted at the [Bitcoin 2021 conference] this weekend. Please keep Ross in your thoughts & prayers,â the account tweeted on June 8.
What do you think about Ross Ulbrichtâs recent phone interview and his reflections on the Silk Road and the Bitcoin networkâs innovations? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
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