Thanks to my researcher, Nicole Blank, for being so patient, eager, and helpful in ways that can’t be counted in this book. A cherry-on-top thank-you to Joshua Davis, Joshuah Bearman—two of the finest storytellers around today—and the team at Epic magazine for contributing such amazing reporting to this book.
I know people say this all the time, that something wouldn’t have been possible without the help of this person or that, but this book really wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of Jared Der-Yeghiayan, his wife, Kim, and their kids; Chris Tarbell, his wife, Sabrina, and their kids; Gary Alford; Julia Vie; Thomas Kiernan; Ilhwan Yum; the family of Preston Bridges; the dozens of people from law enforcement who cannot be named here; and many former friends, acquaintances, and coworkers of Ross’s, all of whom spent endless hours answering my painfully monotonous and tedious questions. Thank you a thousand times over.
An enormous thank-you to my editors at Vanity Fair, Jon Kelly and Graydon Carter, and my insanely talented coworkers, for your truly unbelievable support and friendships. (A shout-out to my former editors and coworkers at the New York Times, especially Stuart Emmerich, Damon Darlin, Dean Baquet, Jill Abramson, and anyone who has the last name Sulzberger.) And most of all, thank you, thank you to Larry Ingrassia, who took a chance on me all those years ago when, over Chinese food, I randomly blurted out that I’d like to try my hand at being a reporter.
I know my sisters are scanning this page wondering where their names are, so I guess it’s time to thank my family for being so wonderful and supportive, even though I caused you all a whole lot of heartache when I was growing up. Thanks, Dad (and Margie), Eboo (and Weter and Roman), and Leanne (and Michael, Luca, and Willow). Debra and Kaitlyn. Amanda and Stephen. Ben and Josh. Matt and Sam. Pixel, Gracie, Lottie, and Hammy. And while there are too many names to add to this book, thanks to all my friends—you know who you are.
Most of all, thank you, Chrysta, Somerset, and Emerson, for answering the question of why we’re here. I love you all so, so, so, so, so much, and there is nothing I could write here that would show how grateful I am for you. Chrysta, you’re my best friend as well as the best mother and the best wife on earth. (And yes, you were right—as always.)
I love you.
There wasn’t a day that went by while I was writing this book that I didn’t think about two of the biggest influences in my life as a journalist and writer: my good friend and mentor David Carr and my mother, and insatiable reader, Sandra.
David taught me so much about journalism and storytelling (“Keep typing until it turns into writing”), and I’ll be forever grateful for the years I got to spend with him.
As for my mother, while she is no longer here, I hope she’s up there somewhere reading this. If she is, I’ll know she started with this page first. Mum, you can flip to the beginning of the book now. I love you and miss you.
Bibliography
Bauer, Alex. “My Roommate, the Darknet Drug Lord.” Motherboard (Vice), March 12, 2015.
Bearman, Joshua. “The Untold Story of the Silk Road.” Wired, April and May 2015.
Chen, Adrian. “The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable.” Gawker, June 1, 2011.
Greenberg, Andy. “An Interview with a Digital Drug Lord: The Silk Road’s Dread Pirate Roberts.” Security, Forbes, August 14, 2013.
Hofmockel, Mandy. “Students Debate Current Issues.” Daily Collegian, December 4, 2008. http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archives/article_1cb3e5e4-6ed2-5bb8-b980-1df989c663f9.html.
Lamoustache. “Silk Road Tales and Archives.” Antilop.cc.
Mac, Ryan. “Living with Ross Ulbricht.” Tech, Forbes, October 9, 2013.
Mullin, Joe. “Judge in Silk Road Case Gets Threatened on Darknet.” Law & Disorder, Ars Technica, October 22, 2014.
Smiley, Lauren. “A Jail Visit with the Alleged Dread Pirate Roberts.” San Francisco Magazine, October 18, 2013.
Nick Bilton is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, where he writes about technology, business, and culture, and a contributor at CNBC. He was a columnist for The New York Times for almost a decade. His most recent book, Hatching Twitter, was a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and dog, Pixel.
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