Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram Messenger, was detained in France on 24 August. The businessman may be charged with a number of crimes related to drug trafficking, fraud, terrorism, etc. French law enforcement believes Pavel Durov is complicit in wrongdoing due to insufficient moderation of Telegram and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. The businessman is currently in custody.
Pavel Durov is one of the world’s most famous tech entrepreneurs. He is a very private person and interviews with him are extremely rare. We have listed five facts about the tech entrepreneur.
Founder of the social networking site VKontakte and Telegram Messenger
Pavel Durov was born in St. Petersburg in October 1984. His parents worked at the Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University.
Pavel went to school in Turin, Italy, where his father worked at that time. After the collapse of the USSR and his return to St. Petersburg, the young man got enrolled into the gymnasium at St. Petersburg State University. He was an A student with a penchant for software engineering. After finishing school, Pavel Durov was admitted to the Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University, from which he graduated with honors.
While studying, the young man launched a website that represented an electronic library with students' essays, and also created a university forum where people could communicate with each other. After graduating, Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, inspired by Facebook, decided to launch their own social media to ease communication between people. Thus, in the fall of 2006, the first user got registered on the social networking website VKontakte. Just two years later, the website racked up more than 20 million accounts and their number was steadily growing. In 2014, Pavel Durov had to step down as VKontakte CEO and to leave Russia.
In 2013, Pavel Durov launched Telegram Messenger. The entrepreneur's goal was to develop the most secure means of communication ever. According to him, the code for the messenger was written by his brother Nikolai, who developed the basic principles of data encryption in the application, while Pavel himself was more involved in developing the user interface. Telegram got off the ground remarkably fast, and in 10 years the number of users exceeded 900 million. Pavel Durov would emphasize that the company does not spend money on marketing and promotion, the core team consists of about 30 engineers, with whom he works directly. In an interview, the businessman said that he would like to see the messenger as a platform for people with different views.
Four citizenships
Pavel Durov is a citizen of four countries. In addition to the Russian citizenship, he acquired citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis for investing in the economy of the island state in 2013. Durov was granted two more citizenships - France and the UAE - in 2021. The businessman lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2017, where Telegram Messenger is headquartered. Pavel Durov would repeatedly praise the UAE for its effective taxation and a favorable legal environment for doing business, especially in the tech industry.
Among the top 10 billionaires in Russia
Since 2016, Pavel Durov has been listed among Russia’s 200 richest people by Forbes. Back then, his net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion. In 2021, Pavel was the 112th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $17.2 billion. As of 2024, Pavel Durov is the 8th richest businessman in Russia according to Forbes with a net worth of $15.5 billion. By the way, Pavel Durov is the only entrepreneur in the top ten who is not from the industrial sector.
Speaks out against corporations
In a 2024 interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov said that the greatest pressure on Telegram came not from governments, but from Apple and Google. According to the entrepreneur, they censor everything people see on their smartphones, and also threaten him to remove the messenger from their app stores unless he follows their recommendations. “In that case, a huge part of the world's population will lose access to a valuable tool that they use every day. But Apple and Google do not compromise - they will make sure all applications distributed in their stores comply with these rules,” the Telegram founder noted.
Father of more than 100 children
Very little is known about Pavel Durov's personal life. According to some reports, the businessman was married to a girl he met while studying at the university. Two children were reported to be born in this marriage - a son and a daughter. Pavel Durov did not officially comment on these reports.
At the end of July 2024, Pavel Durov announced that he was the father of more than 100 children across the world. According to him, he became an anonymous sperm donor and thus helped many infertile couples to become parents. The businessman noted that he wants to disclose his DNA code so that in the future his children could find each other if they wish.
Photos from Pavel Durov's social media
Pavel Durov is one of the world’s most famous tech entrepreneurs. He is a very private person and interviews with him are extremely rare. We have listed five facts about the tech entrepreneur.
Founder of the social networking site VKontakte and Telegram Messenger
Pavel Durov was born in St. Petersburg in October 1984. His parents worked at the Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University.
Pavel went to school in Turin, Italy, where his father worked at that time. After the collapse of the USSR and his return to St. Petersburg, the young man got enrolled into the gymnasium at St. Petersburg State University. He was an A student with a penchant for software engineering. After finishing school, Pavel Durov was admitted to the Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University, from which he graduated with honors.
While studying, the young man launched a website that represented an electronic library with students' essays, and also created a university forum where people could communicate with each other. After graduating, Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, inspired by Facebook, decided to launch their own social media to ease communication between people. Thus, in the fall of 2006, the first user got registered on the social networking website VKontakte. Just two years later, the website racked up more than 20 million accounts and their number was steadily growing. In 2014, Pavel Durov had to step down as VKontakte CEO and to leave Russia.
In 2013, Pavel Durov launched Telegram Messenger. The entrepreneur's goal was to develop the most secure means of communication ever. According to him, the code for the messenger was written by his brother Nikolai, who developed the basic principles of data encryption in the application, while Pavel himself was more involved in developing the user interface. Telegram got off the ground remarkably fast, and in 10 years the number of users exceeded 900 million. Pavel Durov would emphasize that the company does not spend money on marketing and promotion, the core team consists of about 30 engineers, with whom he works directly. In an interview, the businessman said that he would like to see the messenger as a platform for people with different views.
Four citizenships
Pavel Durov is a citizen of four countries. In addition to the Russian citizenship, he acquired citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis for investing in the economy of the island state in 2013. Durov was granted two more citizenships - France and the UAE - in 2021. The businessman lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2017, where Telegram Messenger is headquartered. Pavel Durov would repeatedly praise the UAE for its effective taxation and a favorable legal environment for doing business, especially in the tech industry.
Among the top 10 billionaires in Russia
Since 2016, Pavel Durov has been listed among Russia’s 200 richest people by Forbes. Back then, his net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion. In 2021, Pavel was the 112th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $17.2 billion. As of 2024, Pavel Durov is the 8th richest businessman in Russia according to Forbes with a net worth of $15.5 billion. By the way, Pavel Durov is the only entrepreneur in the top ten who is not from the industrial sector.
Speaks out against corporations
In a 2024 interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov said that the greatest pressure on Telegram came not from governments, but from Apple and Google. According to the entrepreneur, they censor everything people see on their smartphones, and also threaten him to remove the messenger from their app stores unless he follows their recommendations. “In that case, a huge part of the world's population will lose access to a valuable tool that they use every day. But Apple and Google do not compromise - they will make sure all applications distributed in their stores comply with these rules,” the Telegram founder noted.
Father of more than 100 children
Very little is known about Pavel Durov's personal life. According to some reports, the businessman was married to a girl he met while studying at the university. Two children were reported to be born in this marriage - a son and a daughter. Pavel Durov did not officially comment on these reports.
In the summer of 2024, an ex-girlfriend of the entrepreneur claimed that she was the mother of his three children, and shared photos and documents confirming this with several media outlets.
Photos from Pavel Durov's social media
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