Pavel Valeryevich Durov is a Russian-born entrepreneur and business executive. He is the founder and CEO of the social networking application Telegram Messenger and site VK. Durov is the richest expat billionaire in the Middle East, as well as the youngest billionaire in the UAE.
Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov founded the Russia-based social network Vkontakte, which is more popular than Facebook in the country. The launch of the social networking site catapulted the Durov brothers to celebrity status. Pavel Durov was 22 years old at the time and was called the Zuckerberg of Russia.
However, they left their venture, as the Russian government took over the social network. In 2014, Pavel Durov sold whatever stakes he had left of VK (which were sold for millions) and left Russia after the government started demanding to release the data of Ukrainian protest leaders.
For a while, Durov led a nomadic lifestyle. Staying in Paris for one week, then leaving for Singapore the other.
In 2013, he founded Telegram, an instant messaging service application that soon gained popularity for its focus on privacy and security. Telegram now boasts over 700 million active users worldwide.
In April 2021, he received the citizenship of United Arab Emirates and lives in Dubai.
“The best thing about Russia at that time was the Internet sphere was completely not regulated. In some ways, it was more liberal than the United States.”
Pavel Durov on starting VK in 2006.
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Pavel Durov Net Worth
As of 2024, Pavel Durov’s net worth is $15.5 billion. He consistently ranks among the top 150 richest people in the world. The majority of his wealth is derived from his shares (of which he owns a 100%) of Telegram, which is valued at over $30 billion.
According to Forbes, Pavel Durov is richer than the world’s richest Arab, Egypt’s Nassef Sawiris, who is worth $7.7 billion. Also, his net worth is greater than the combined wealth of six Lebanese billionaires.
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Education
Pavel Durov was born in Leningrad, Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2006, he graduated with a first-class degree from the Philology Department at Saint Petersburg State University.
Career
During his university years, Pavel Durov created the popular forum spbgu.ru. In 2006, he and his former classmate Vyacheslav Mirilashvili, inspired by Facebook, decided to create a Russian social network called VKontakte.
Durov became the CEO, with his brother Nikolai, a skilled programmer, developing the site. They launched VKontakte in September 2006 and officially registered the domain Vkontakte.ru the following month.
By July 2007, the platform had reached 1 million users, and by April 2008, it had 10 million, surpassing Odnoklassniki as Russia’s most popular social network by December 2008.
The company’s value eventually grew to $3 billion. In 2011, Durov faced government pressure to remove opposition pages, which he refused.
A year later, he publicly rejected Mail.ru Group’s offer to buy VK with a defiant gesture.
Then, in December 2013, he sold his stake in VK, and on 1 April 2014, he announced his resignation, which he later claimed was an April Fool’s joke.
However, on 21 April 2014, Durov was dismissed from VK, stating that his removal was linked to his refusal to hand over user data to Russian authorities.
After leaving Russia, he obtained citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis and founded Telegram, an encrypted messaging service.
Telegram, initially headquartered in Berlin and later in Dubai, became known for its strong privacy stance. Durov later announced plans for the “Gram” cryptocurrency and the TON platform, but these ventures were halted by the U.S. SEC. Telegram faced attempts at blocking by the Russian government, which were lifted in 2020 after the platform agreed to address terrorism and extremism concerns.
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Recognition
In August 2014, Pavel Durov was recognized as the most promising Northern European leader under 30. In 2017, he was selected to join the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. On 21 June 2018, the Union of Kazakhstan’s Journalists honored Durov with an award for his firm stance against censorship and state interference in citizens’ free online communication.
That same year, Fortune magazine included him in their “40 Under 40″ list, highlighting the most influential young people in business. In February 2023, Arabian Business named Durov the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.
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Latest Updates
Recently, Pavel Durov has become the talk of the town, but not for the reasons one might think. Durov revealed that he has over “100 biological children.” Sharing this news with his 5.7 million subscribers on Telegram, Durov recounted a story from about 15 years ago when a friend asked him to donate sperm due to fertility issues. Initially, Durov thought it was a joke, but he later agreed after the head of the clinic suggested it was his “civic duty” to help couples in need. As a result, Durov became a sperm donor, leading to the birth of over a hundred children across 12 countries.
He now plans to make his DNA publicly available so that his biological children can connect with each other.
The announcement has sparked widespread reactions online. Notably, Elon Musk responded with a joking remark, “‘Rookie numbers’ – Genghis Khan,” referencing the historical figure known for his numerous descendants.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is the CEO of Telegram?
The CEO of Telegram is Pavel Durov. Russian-born Durov founded the cloud-based, encrypted instant messaging service app Telegram in 2013 after leaving Russia.
Is Pavel Durov married?
No, Pavel Durov is not married. However, Durov has over a hundred biological children across 12 countries via sperm donation.
