10 Defining Moments in the Life of Pavel Durov
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
2021-08-25
Acquired French citizenship
Durov was officially granted French citizenship.
36
Personal