Ross Ulbricht: From prison to fame and riches

Before the headlines, before the courtroom sketches and political debates, Ross Ulbricht was a young physicist and coder with a vision. In 2011, he launched Silk Road — a dark web marketplace that used Bitcoin to enable anonymous transactions. Framed by some as a libertarian experiment and by others as a criminal empire, Silk Road became one of the most controversial platforms in internet history. Ross was arrested in 2013 and given a life sentence without parole. But in a shocking twist, he was officially pardoned in 2025 by President Trump. What does his BaZi chart reveal about this dramatic rise, fall, and unexpected return?

Ross Ulbricht: The Coder Who Caught Fire — and Walked Free

Ross Ulbricht was born as Yang Metal Master Element — the energy of the sword. People with this elemental nature often live by a strong internal code. They think clearly, act decisively, and sometimes cut through systems that others merely accept. But what made Ross’s chart truly special wasn’t just the sharpness — it was the flow.

Right below that Metal surface, his chart reveals a strong Water structure, connecting the Monkey and the Rat — activating Output Component (intelligence, movement, and expression). In BaZi, Water symbolizes ideas, communication, and adaptability. It’s the perfect ingredient for someone who could create a digital underground market that stretched across the world. That Water, in turn, nourishes Wood, which represents wealth — and in Ross’s case, Wood is flourishing.

Born in the month of the Rabbit, year of Yang Wood, and the hour of the Tiger, his chart is full of strong, vibrant Wood. That’s the BaZi version of high-growth energy: the ability to make fast money and scale ideas rapidly. With Metal producing Water, and Water feeding Wood, his chart was a natural engine for disruptive innovation, like the Silk Road.

But above all of this sits a single, quiet Yin Fire stem — the symbol of authority and exposure. For a while, that fire flickered unnoticed. But in 2013, everything changed, when he got arrested.

Ross entered the Yang Metal Horse pillar in 2007. In BaZi, this created a Fan Yin clash against his natal year pillar, so whatever business he was doing, was based on shaky grounds. The Fire of the Horse eventually broke the delicate Water connection between Monkey and Rat, cutting off his freedom (Output) and bringing down his empire. Fire also represents law enforcement, and in Ross’s case, the symbolism played out literally. He was arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced to life without parole.

And yet, even from behind bars, the chart kept speaking.

Ross continued to write. He expressed his views, remained present in the crypto world, and slowly became a symbol for something larger than himself: digital freedom, excessive punishment, and the blurred line between innovation and crime.

Then came 2017, and a shift into the Yin Metal Goat luck cycle. This pillar brought in Earth, the one thing his chart had been missing all along. Earth acts like a bridge — it connects Water (his expression) and Wood (his wealth), making his chart finally coherent and supported. From that point on, things began to change.

In 2025, more than a decade after his arrest, Ross was officially pardoned.

He walked free.

Not long after, a donation of 300 Bitcoin landed in his wallet, worth tens of millions of dollars. Just like that, the system that once collapsed under Fire reactivated under Earth. He was no longer just an underground coder or a prisoner — he became a millionaire with a global voice.

A recent photo shows Ross walking out of prison holding a small plant — a simple, almost symbolic gesture. In BaZi, the Wood element represents wealth and growth, and it is the strongest and most active force in his chart. That small plant, cradled in his hand as he steps into freedom, is a quiet but powerful image: Wood, planted in Earth, surviving Fire – showing that wealth and purpose are still alive after everything. It’s as if the chart itself was making a final statement — the story isn’t over, it’s just sprouting again.

The BaZi Behind the Man

Ross Ulbricht’s destiny wasn’t random. His chart was always built for bold action, rapid scaling, and massive expression. It took a violent detour — the kind BaZi can predict when Fire attacks Water — but now, with the right Elements in place, he’s entered a new phase.

Free, wealthy, and still expressing his ideas, Ross is living out the next chapter of a life that was never meant to stay silent.

Also published on Medium.