5 Facts About Pavel Durov, Telegram CEO Arrested in Paris

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - French media reported Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested on August 24 2024 shortly after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport. The arrest was prompted by Durov's failure to maintain the moderation of Telegram as a social platform, allowing criminals to maneuver massively on the app. 

"Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving," Telegram said in a statement on the arrest as quoted by Reuters. 

The tech billionaire co-founded Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013. Telegram is a free-to-use, encrypted messaging service that prioritizes user privacy. The app has since competed with its rivals in the social media platform space, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. 

5 Facts About Telegram CEO Pavel Durov 

1. Ranked 112 on the Forbes Billionaire List

As a tech billionaire, Pavel Durov's net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion, and he is currently ranked 122nd on Forbes' 2024 billionaires list. His hefty fortune comes from Telegram, which was recently reported to have 950 million active users and is valued at more than $30 billion. 

2. Has Multiple Citizenships 

Pavel Durov was born on October 10, 1984, in St. Petersburg, Soviet Russia. Durov spent most of his childhood in Turin, Italy before returning to Russia where he pursued higher education in the Philology Department of St. Petersburg State University. 

According to media reports, Pavel Durov was granted French citizenship in August 2021. Although French authorities have never made a statement about it. He also holds Emirati citizenship, where Telegram is based. 

3. Based in Dubai 

Durov moved to Dubai in 2017, relocating Telegram's operations from Berlin. In an interview with Bloomberg in December 2017, he mentioned that moving to Dubai gave him better opportunities to use his money for the benefit of society, as the city doesn't have an income tax. 

Despite having a headquarters in Dubai for a while, Durov wrote on Twitter that Telegram  “is unlikely to ever consider any location (to) be permanent base.” 

4. Often Headlines News Outlets 

Durov has made headlines around the world throughout his career, not only for his professional endeavors but also for his personal life. 

Although he claims to be unlike most billionaires who own private jets, cars, yachts and homes, Durov has been seen enjoying a lavish lifestyle in his free time. In 2016, he shared a photo from the deck of a Lurssen yacht. As reported by Yacht World, the cost of a Lurssen yacht ranges from $1 million to $185 million. 

5. A father of 100 Children 

According to the documentary about Pavel Durov, he was married to Daria Bondarenko and had two children with her. The two had met as students at the same university. Daria was reportedly responsible for student news on behalf of the student council. 

In one of his official Telegram posts, Durov claimed to have fathered 100 children from sperm donations he had made over time. This particular news made several headlines from various outlets around the world. 

REUTERS | Business Insider | Forbes | Euronews | RBTH

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