PAVEL DUROV BIOGRAPHY, EDUCATION, CAREER, CONTROVERSIES AND NET WORTH

Pavel Durov is a Russian entrepreneur best known for founding the social networking site VKontakte (VK) and later for creating the widely used messaging app Telegram. Durov initially gained recognition for his role in developing VK, which became the largest social network in Russia.

PAVEL DUROV PROFILE

Name	Pavel Durov
Real Name	Pavel Valeryevich Durov
Date of Birth	10 October 1984
Age	39 Years
Nationality	Russian
Occupation	Bussinessman
Religion	N/A
Marital Status	Single
Net Worth	$11.5 Billion
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PAVEL DUROV BIOGRAPHY

Pavel Valeryevich Durov was born on October 10, 1984, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His early years were spent in Turin, Italy, due to his father’s employment. His father, Valery Semenovich Durov, is a Doctor of Philological Sciences and an academic author.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

He studied philology at Saint Petersburg State University.

CAREER

Durov gained prominence as a technology entrepreneur with the launch of VKontakte (VK) in September 2006. The site, which initially went into beta testing that month, was officially incorporated on January 19, 2007, as a Russian private limited company.

VKontakte quickly became the largest social networking site in Russia, reaching 1 million users by July 2007 and 10 million by April 2008.

In 2014, Durov left VKontakte due to a dispute with shareholders and shifted his focus to developing Telegram, a messaging app known for its emphasis on privacy and security.

In 2022, Forbes recognized him as the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates, and in February 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.

CONTROVERSIES

On August 24, 2024, Durov was arrested by France’s anti-fraud office at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on charges related to Telegram’s alleged use for criminal activities, including drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and fraud.

PAVEL DUROV SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE

https://www.instagram.com/durov?igsh=YjNsa2RiMms0YXN5

PERSONAL LIFE

Durov is a libertarian, teetotaler, and vegetarian who maintains an ascetic lifestyle and advocates for freedom from personal possessions. For his twenty-seventh birthday in 2011, he donated $1 million to the Wikimedia Foundation and published manifestos in 2012 proposing improvements for Russia.

Durov is not married and resides in Dubai. He obtained United Arab Emirates citizenship in April 2021 and was naturalized as a French citizen in August 2021, thus acquiring European Union citizenship.

Durov has claimed to have fathered over 100 children via sperm donation in 12 countries since 2010.

PAVEL DUROV NET WORTH

As of August 25, 2024, Pavel Durov is ranked 120th on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, with a net worth of $15.5 billion. His wealth primarily comes from his ownership of Telegram.