The Rise and Fall of Silk Road

How a 29-year-old idealist built a global drug bazaar and became a murderous kingpin.

Wired, 2015

15 min read

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How did a libertarian idealist become the power behind America’s largest online drug marketplace?

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In early 2015, a jury found Ross Ulbricht guilty of creating and running the drug-selling e-commerce website Silk Road. But how exactly did Ulbricht come to create Silk Road, and how, with all the encryption and secrecy standing in the way of discovery, did law enforcement ultimately bring Ulbricht to justice? In this long article, Wired reporter Joshuah Bearman weaves a detailed and gripping narrative of the various individuals – including Ulbricht, Silk Road employee Curtis Green, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Carl Force and FBI agent Chris Tarbell – and the encryption technology which played a part in the Silk Road saga. In detailing the rise of Silk Road and the evolution of its founder from political experimenter to brutal businessman, Bearman also raises larger questions about the nature of identity and the corrupting influence of power. getAbstract recommends this article to everyone interested in the intersections among digital technologies, politics, law, philosophy and identity.

Summary

From Libertarian Ideals to Silk Road

The seeds of the philosophy which Ross Ulbricht would one day cite as inspiration for his clandestine e-commerce website, Silk Road, were planted during his time as a master’s student at Penn State. Ulbricht’s field was science, but he developed a strong interest in economics. In particular, Ulbricht found himself swayed by the theories of libertarian Ludwig von Mises, who argued that individuals “must have economic freedom to be politically or morally free.” After finishing his studies and embarking on a number of failed business endeavors, Ulbricht first encountered bitcoin. This digital cryptocurrency not linked to any central bank helped spark the idea of a “dark web” e-commerce site which would allow anonymous sellers to engage in “illicit trade, mostly drugs.” In January 2011, this concept acquired virtual form: Ulbricht launched Silk Road.

The Birth of the “Dread Pirate Roberts”

By late 2011, in part thanks to a feature by Gawker, Silk Road was a massive success. Ulbricht found himself growing increasingly overwhelmed by the demands of running the site – in terms of both managing the coding and security and...

About the Author

Joshuah Bearman writes for Rolling Stone, Harper’s, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, The Believer and McSweeney’s and contributes to This American Life.

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E. B. 7 years ago

This summary, reminds me of the recent summary of "the subtle art of not giving a fuck" in that it seems to signal a new willingness on the part of Get Abstract to summarize "badass" content that pushes the envelope.
Bravo! Keep up the great work!

Joshua Bearman