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10 Defining Moments in the Life of Pavel Durov

France,Saint Kitts and Nevis,United Arab Emirates
Also known as: Pavel Valerievich Durov
Born: 1984-10-10 (Leningrad, Soviet Union)
Age:40
Social Media:

Pavel Durov is a Russian-born French-Emirati entrepreneur who founded the social networking site VK and later the instant messaging service Telegram. He is known for his advocacy of privacy and free speech.

2006-06-01

Graduated from Saint Petersburg State University

Durov graduated from the Philology Faculty of Saint Petersburg State University, specializing in translation and interpretation.

21

Education

2006-10-10

Co-founded VKontakte (VK)

Pavel Durov, along with his brother Nikolai, co-founded VKontakte (VK), a social networking service, which quickly became popular in Russia and surrounding countries.

22

Career

2012-05-03

Received Freedom of the Press Award

Received an award from Deutsche Welle for supporting freedom of the press.

27

Award

2013-08-14

Launched Telegram

Pavel Durov launched Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging service, with his brother Nikolai providing the cryptographic technology.

28

Career

2014-04-21

Sold his remaining stake in VK

Due to increasing pressure from the Russian government, Durov sold his remaining stake in VK.

29

Business

2014-04-22

Left Russia

Following the sale of his VK shares and disputes with the Russian government over data privacy, Durov left Russia.

29

Personal

2017-02-01

Acquired Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Durov reportedly acquired citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis through their Citizenship by Investment program.

32

Personal

2018-02-01

Relocated Telegram headquarters to Dubai

Telegram officially relocated its headquarters to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, citing taxation benefits and relaxed regulations.

33

Business

2018-03-01

Telegram IPO rumors

There were significant talks and preparations for Telegram to go public with an initial coin offering (ICO) which later got suspended due to SEC scrutiny.

33

Business

2021-08-25

Acquired French citizenship

Durov was officially granted French citizenship.

36

Personal

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