From A Double Life Sentence to MAGA Influencer Fame
An IRL vibe coding battle, 6-7 meme coin, cosmic pink iPhones, ChatGPT hasbara, meet Lemonade Stand, CougerTok, party gap dating, JD Vance's TikToks and the 'anti-woke’ power grab
A year ago I quit my job to go full time independent. It’s clearer than ever that we need a robust independent media ecosystem to hold power to account, and the only reason I’m able to do the work I do (not just this newsletter, but my bi-weekly videos, my Free Speech Friday series educating people on civil liberties, my podcast, my social media content, my tech policy and civil rights advocacy work, and so much more)— is because of those of you who pay to support this newsletter.
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Nearly a decade ago, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace was sentenced to a double life sentence in prison. Now, he’s out and has become a powerful influencer and political figure in the MAGA movement.
Ryan Mac at the New York Times has been covering Ulbricht for over a decade. He joined me to dive deep into Ulbrict’s’ past, how the Silk Road transformed the web, and how this crazy alliance between bitcoin billionaires, libertarians, and MAGA die-hards has skyrocketed Ulbricht to fame and set him up for a major role in politics.