Bitcoin 2025: The Power Players Speaking At This Week’s Crypto Conference

Thousands have gathered in Las Vegas for this year’s Bitcoin 2025 conference — and it’s not just crypto diehards in attendance. The speaker lineup includes the vice president of the United States, other key figures from the Trump administration, and some of Bitcoin’s loudest advocates and fiercest critics.

If you’re not streaming it live, here’s a look at the headliners — and their previous thoughts on the future of crypto.

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: J.D Vance needs no introduction. As second in command and vice president under Trump, he plays a major role in shaping the administration’s pro-crypto stance, including energy policy favorable to miners.

What They’ve Said: “This is why crypto is taking off. The regime will cut off your access to banking if you have the wrong politics.”

Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: Trump Jr.’s $2.5 billion Bitcoin investment — announced at the conference — made headlines and showcased the Trump family’s deepening ties to the crypto space.

What They’ve Said: “I think it’s perhaps the future of American hegemony, in terms of our economic status, our economic might.”

Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: Though imprisoned, Ulbricht remains a symbolic figure for Bitcoin’s roots in digital freedom, privacy, and resistance to surveillance.

What They’ve Said: “I have heard that ‘Bitcoin is dead’ and that ‘Bitcoin is the future.’ I have heard that ‘Bitcoin is bad for the environment’ and that ‘Bitcoin will set us free.’ But I’ve noticed that Bitcoin doesn’t seem to care what we say about it… Bitcoin will keep adding a block every ten minutes, forever. That’s the whole point. Through all the ups and downs since Bitcoin’s birth… Bitcoin has never faltered.”

Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: Saylor has personally and professionally bet billions on Bitcoin, helping normalize it as a corporate treasury asset.

What They’ve Said:  “Bitcoin is a bank in cyberspace, run by incorruptible software, offering a global, affordable, simple and secure savings account to billions of people.

Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: Lummis is Bitcoin’s strongest legislative champion in Congress, frequently pushing bills to protect crypto rights and promote financial innovation.

What They’ve Said:  “Bitcoin is not simply a technological opportunity, but a national imperative for America’s continued financial leadership in the 21st century.”

David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: A prominent VC and advisor to the Trump administration, Sacks is shaping federal crypto strategy — including the proposed U.S. Bitcoin reserve.

What They’ve Said: “The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value. The Reserve is like a digital Fort Knox.

Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: Hines is a fast-rising figure overseeing crypto regulatory guidance at the national level, particularly around accumulation and reserve policy.

What They’ve Said:  “We’re not going to sell any Bitcoin that we possibly have in the U.S. government, period.”

Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: As head of a major retail investing platform, Tenev helped bring crypto to millions of users. Robinhood’s continued crypto expansion is a key market signal.

What They’ve Said: “AI could lead to more ‘single-person’ companies, just like how Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin.”

Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: A longtime Bitcoin skeptic, Schiff’s criticisms often provoke strong reactions from the crypto community — and spark major public debates.

What They’ve Said: “Nobody values Bitcoin for the Bitcoin; they value it because they believe that they can exchange it for something else.”

Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

J.D. Vance – Vice President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr. – Executive at Trump Media, Ross Ulbricht – Founder of Silk Road, Michael Saylor – Executive Chairman, MicroStrategy, Cynthia Lummis – U.S. Senator from Wyoming, David Sacks – White House AI and Crypto Czar, Bo Hines – Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, Vlad Tenev – CEO, Robinhood, Peter Schiff – Economist and Gold Advocate, Vivek Ramaswamy – Entrepreneur and Political Commentator

Why They Matter: As a former presidential candidate and policy influencer, Ramaswamy shaped national conversations on crypto regulation and digital sovereignty.

What They’ve Said: “Bitcoin is not like every other cryptocurrency. Most importantly because it has a finite supply that’s deterministic and known in advance.”

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