Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov was born on October 10, 1984, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He attended college there at Saint Petersburg State University from 2001 until 2006.

After graduation from college, Durov pursued entrepreneurship with his brother and cofounded VKontakte (also known as VK), a Russian social media website. The website grew in popularity, and it is reported that the website was valued at nearly $3 billion while he was CEO of the company.

In 2013, Durov started getting pressured to release user data from VK to the Russian government, and he refused to comply, citing the users' right to data privacy. Durov eventually started selling his stake in the company, and in 2014, he sold that last remaining 12% stake in the company to Ivan Tavrin, the CEO of Megafon, one of the largest telecommunications providers in Russia. In April 2014, Durov departed from VK after disputes with the state-associated entities that had gained control over the company. He also left Russia after years of being targeted by the government for refusing to release user data and later gained citizenship in several other countries, including France, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the United Arab Emirates.

Prior to leaving VK, Durov founded another company, Telegram, which offers an end-to-end encrypted messaging app. The app launched in 2013 and quickly gained popularity due to its security features. In 2018, Durov and his brother launched their new blockchain, TON, and raised $1.7 billion after the initial coin offering (ICO) of the associated cryptocurrency, Gram. Durov terminated the project in October 2019 after legal obstacles and regulatory issues, particularly with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Between the launch and closure of the TON blockchain, Durov's Telegram continued to gain popularity and became the most downloaded app of 2021, with reports stating that there are more than 500 million active monthly users.

In 2023, Telegram was being used at a global scale and particularly for communication purposes in countries experiencing political unrest or war, including Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine. Durov came under criticism for allowing graphic images and videos from the Hamas-Israel conflict to be circulated on Telegram. The company responded by restricting groups and channels that are spreading images, videos, and messages regarding the conflicts but not banning them.