Ulbricht, who was convicted of running an anonymous online drug marketplace, became a hero to crypto-holders everywhere. What does his pardon signal for the future of the technology?

The president granted the unconditional release of the online drug impresario as a favor to libertarians and cryptocurrency partisans.

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was given two life sentences in 2015, thanks President Donald Trump for giving him a "second chance" with unconditional pardon.

Ulbricht's story has long been a lightning rod for discussions around sentencing reform, the ethics of decentralized platforms, and the role of government in regulating the digital frontier. Charles Hoskinson,

Law enforcement said Ulbricht created the “most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace” on the internet.

Until, of course, in 2013 the Silk Road was shut down by FBI agents and Mr Ulbricht, then 29 years old, was arrested in the science-fiction section of a San Francisco public library. In 2015, after a four-week trial,

In 2015, a federal judge in Manhattan sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison for drug trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering.

Donald Trump has offered a flurry of pardons since taking office earlier this week, including one for the Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.