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Pavel Durov

Telegram
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Pavel Durov co-founded VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network, before being forced out by Kremlin-aligned investors. He then founded Telegram in 2013 as an encrypted messaging platform and has grown it to over 900 million users without taking external investment. Durov has maintained Telegram's privacy commitments while operating from Dubai. He was arrested in France in 2024 in connection with content moderation and data access disputes, drawing global attention to platform governance.
Messaging / Privacy Tech

About Telegram

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app offering end-to-end encrypted chats, group channels, bots, and mini-apps with 900 million+ monthly active users. Operates through Telegram Premium subscription model.

About this listing

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