Pavel Durov – A Bright and Daring Entrepreneur

Today, we will introduce a highly successful 37-year-old business person who staunchly defends freedom of speech and data confidentiality. Pavel Durov created the Russian equivalent of Facebook but lost his company for not cooperating with the government. After fleeing his homeland, he gained citizenship abroad and started a new company around an advanced messaging app called Telegram. Let’s discover how it became the most downloaded app of 2021 and boosted its developer’s net worth to over US$15 billion.

Since its inception, one of Telegram’s priorities has been internet privacy. This commitment to protecting people’s conversations and personal data has probably helped boost the service’s popularity more than anything else. In 2021, Telegram reportedly gained more than 70 million new users in one month. It was subsequently named the fastest-growing app of the year. Mr. Durov has achieved numerous milestones in a relatively short time. In 2011, a Russian business publication gave him credit for being one of the people who did the most to advance the internet in Russia.

By April 2020, Telegram had achieved 400 million active users. As a reminder to all who have come to trust Telegram, on March 7, 2022, Mr. Durov published the following message: “Nine years ago, I defended the private data of Ukrainians from the Russian government — and lost my company and my home. I would do it again without hesitation.”

Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Gladly present Mr. Pavel Durov the Shining World Bravery-High-Tech Award, with special esteem and praises for your highly valued contribution to a better world. May Heaven continue to inspire you in your noble ideal and protect you always.”