A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER—The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom - and almost got away with it.In 2011 a twenty-six-year-old programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market the Silk Road a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything - drugs hacking software forged passports counterfeit cash poisons - free of the government s watchful eye. While the federal government were undertaking an epic two-year manhunt for the site s elusive proprietor the Silk Road quickly ballooned into a $1.2 billion enterprise.Ross embraced his new role as kingpin taking drastic steps to protect himself - including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren t sure even existed searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet.Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It s a story of the boy next door s ambition gone criminal spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning anonymous decentralised Web advocates and the old world of government control order and the rule of law. Review Unbelievably rivetingCasey NeistatAddictive readingThe Amazon Book ReviewImpressiveNew York TimesAstonishingly well-researched ... sharp and bright ... the definitive account of the Silk Road ... See more
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER—The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom - and almost got away with it.In 2011 a twenty-six-year-old programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market the Silk Road a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything - drugs hacking software forged passports counterfeit cash poisons - free of the government s watchful eye. While the federal government were undertaking an epic two-year manhunt for the site s elusive proprietor the Silk Road quickly ballooned into a $1.2 billion enterprise.Ross embraced his new role as kingpin taking drastic steps to protect himself - including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren t sure even existed searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet.Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It s a story of the boy next door s ambition gone criminal spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning anonymous decentralised Web advocates and the old world of government control order and the rule of law. Review Unbelievably rivetingCasey NeistatAddictive readingThe Amazon Book ReviewImpressiveNew York TimesAstonishingly well-researched ... sharp and bright ... the definitive account of the Silk Road sagaThe Globe and MailAmazingHuffPost About the Author British born Nick Bilton is Special Correspondent atVanity Fair where he writes about technology business and culture and a contributor at CNBC. He was a columnist forThe New York Times for almost a decade. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife son and dog Pixel. A <i jquery111106562287189601657= "339 ">NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER— The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom and almost got away with it. In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons free of the government s watchful eye. While the federal government were undertaking an epic two-year manhunt for the site s elusive proprietor, the Silk Road quickly ballooned into a $1.2 billion enterprise. Ross embraced his new role as kingpin, taking drastic steps to protect himself including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever, the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren t sure even existed, searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet. Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind, <i jquery111106562287189601657= "348 ">New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns, lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It s a story of the boy next door s ambition gone criminal, spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning, anonymous, decentralised Web advocates and the old world of government control, order and the rule of law.