Telegram CEO and billionaire Pavel Durov has established himself as a tech mogul and a strong advocate for free speech. The Russian-born entrepreneur has been at the forefront of the app-creating industry for years.
His messaging app, Telegram combines SMS and email-like features to take care of all your personal or business messaging needs. It is one of the fastest-growing and biggest social networking platforms in the world and the highlight of the app is its end-to-end encrypted messaging.
The content of the messages is only accessible to the sender and the receiver. Even the messaging service does not have access to it, focusing on security and speed.
In an interview with the U.S. conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson in April 2024, Durov said, “For me, it was never about getting rich. My mission in life was to allow others also to be free. And using the platforms that we created, my hope was that they could express their freedom.”
However, in August 2024, the CEO faced scrutiny for the creative freedom he preached and practised, and was detained as a part of an investigation into Telegram’s content moderation practices. Durov was arrested in Paris for allegedly allowing illicit activities such as drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images on the platform.
As the French officials investigate the matter which will eventually decide Telegram’s fate, we take a look at the impressive net worth of Pavel Durov who once fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with the Russian government’s request to release personal data of Ukrainian protesters.
Breaking down the impressive net worth of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in 2024
What is the net worth of Pavel Durov as the CEO of Telegram?
According to Forbes, Pavel Durov’s net worth as of August 2024 is a whopping USD 15.5 billion. He is the 120th wealthiest person in the world as of August 2024.
In 2013, Durov founded Telegram with his brother, Nikolai Durov. It is now the world’s fourth most popular messaging platform behind WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger with over 950 million users.
His annual income is estimated at USD 1.5 billion, translating to a monthly salary of approximately USD 100 million in 2024. Most of his income derives from Telegram which reportedly has a market valuation of USD 30 billion. In his quest for freedom, Durov does not possess major real estate, jets or yachts except money or bitcoin.
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Durov, dubbed the Russian Mark Zuckerberg, is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. Needless to say, he is among the most affluent residents in Dubai. He was also granted French citizenship in 2021 through an exceptional and highly political procedure.
According to a 2023 Forbes report, Durov moved into a luxury five-bedroom villa on a 15,000-square-foot property in Jumeirah Islands. The lush location is a community of interconnected islands built atop an artificial saltwater lake.
Durov is paying USD 1 million in annual rent. It is reportedly one of Jumeirah Islands’ priciest rental deals ever. You can see a glimpse of Pavel Durov’s lavish lifestyle on his Instagram which has over 1.5 million followers.
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Before Telegram, Pavel Durov founded VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network, at the age of 22, after graduating from St. Petersburg University in 2006. Under his leadership, the platform grew to amass over 100 million users. However, the interference of the Russian government prompted Durov to sell his stake in VKontakte.
In a 2014 Reuters report, Durov revealed he was fired as allies of the Kremlin gained full control of the site. Subsequently, he fled the country.
Russia banned Telegram from 2018 to 2020 due to its refusal to allow Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) access to user messaging data.
All about Pavel Durov’s personal life, education qualification, family and kids
Born in 1984 in the then-Soviet Union, Durov moved to Italy when he was four. He returned to Russia after his father received a job at St Petersburg University, where he eventually studied. In 2006, the tech entrepreneur graduated from the university with a degree in philology.
On the personal front, Durov has five children that he shares with two ex-girlfriends. On 29 July 2024, the Telegram CEO revealed through his official Telegram channel that he has over 100 biological kids. Durov helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids as a “high quality donor material” over the years.
Why was Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested?
According to multiple reports by French media outlets, Durov was detained after landing at Le Bourget Airport in Paris from Azerbaijan on Saturday, 24 August 2024.
In a statement to TIME, Telegram wrote, “Telegram abides by E.U. laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a critical source of information, regularly used by both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Over the years, the platform infamously emerged as a central point facilitating criminal activities like distributing leaked exam papers, stock price manipulation, and extortion among others.
The current social media buzz about Durov is at an all-time high following his arrest. The keyboard warriors who advocate privacy and free speech on the internet condemned his arrest.
Ironically, just a few days before his arrest, Durov’s last statement on his official Telegram channel was on 14 August talking about making the platform “freer”.
Former US National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden said in a post on X, “The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.”
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(Header and feature image courtesy: Pavel Durov/ Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
According to Forbes, Pavel Durov's net worth is estimated at USD 15.5 billion in 2024.
Pavel Durov's annual income is estimated at USD 1.5 billion, making his monthly salary USD 100 million in 2024.
