From Ross Ulbricht’s first significant public appearance to Strategy’s Michael Saylor addressing the crowd, the focus of the Bitcoin conference was often on individual liberty.
Thousands gathered in the convention center of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas to hear industry leaders, lawmakers, and charismatic figures from around the world discuss their views on Bitcoin, and, to a lesser extent, other cryptocurrencies.
By far the biggest draw of the event was US Vice President JD Vance, who traveled to Nevada to attend a reported $1 million-per-head fundraiser ahead of his appearance at the Bitcoin (BTC) conference. Vance, who has largely taken second chair to President Donald Trump in terms of crypto policies, called on Bitcoiners to get more involved in politics, suggesting they could potentially influence the 2026 midterm elections in the United States.
The vice president was not the only speaker at the event to include “freedom” in his messaging. Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor mentioned the word no fewer than three times during his “21 Ways to Wealth” speech, and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was released from prison roughly four months ago after receiving a pardon from Trump, focused on the subject when addressing supporters.
