History of Pavel Durov in Timeline
Pavel Durov is a Russian-born entrepreneur with French and Emirati citizenship. He is best known for co-founding two major tech companies: the social networking site VK and the messaging app Telegram Messenger. He currently serves as the CEO of Telegram.
October 1984: Birth of Pavel Durov
Pavel Durov was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in October 1984.
1992: Valery Durov Heads Department of Classical Philology
Pavel Durov's father, Valery Semenovich Durov, a Doctor of Philological Sciences, assumed the role of Head of the Department of Classical Philology at Saint Petersburg State University in 1992.
September 2006: VKontakte Beta Testing Begins
VKontakte, the brainchild of Pavel Durov and his co-founders, began beta testing in September 2006.
2006: Durov Graduates from Saint Petersburg State University
Pavel Durov graduated from the Philology Department of Saint Petersburg State University with a first-class degree in 2006.
2006: Durov Creates spbgu.ru and Conceives VKontakte
While at university, Durov created the popular forum spbgu.ru. In 2006, inspired by Facebook, he and Vyacheslav Mirilashvili decided to create a Russian social network, VKontakte, with Lev Binzumovich Leviev joining as a co-founder.
January 2007: VKontakte Officially Incorporated
On January 19, 2007, VKontakte was officially incorporated as a Russian private limited company.
July 2007: VKontakte Reaches 1 Million Users
By July 2007, VKontakte achieved a significant milestone by amassing a user base of 1 million.
April 2008: VKontakte User Base Grows to 10 Million
In April 2008, VKontakte's popularity continued to surge, reaching a user base of 10 million.
December 2008: VKontakte Becomes Russia's Top Social Network
VKontakte surpassed its competitor, Odnoklassniki, to become the most popular social networking service in Russia in December 2008.
2011: Durov's Standoff with Police
In 2011, Pavel Durov was involved in a standoff with police in Saint Petersburg when the government demanded the removal of opposition politicians' pages from VKontakte following the Duma elections.
2011: Durov's Donation to Wikimedia Foundation
In celebration of his twenty-seventh birthday in 2011, Pavel Durov made a generous donation of one million dollars to the Wikimedia Foundation.
2012: Durov's Response to Mail.ru Group's Acquisition Attempt
In 2012, Pavel Durov publicly expressed his opposition to Mail.ru Group's efforts to buy VK by posting a picture of himself making an obscene gesture.
2012: Durov Publishes Manifestos on Improving Russia
In 2012, Pavel Durov shared his vision for a better Russia through a series of published manifestos outlining his ideas.
December 2013: Durov Sells Stake in VK
In December 2013, Pavel Durov sold his 12% stake in VK to Ivan Tavrin, who later resold it to Mail.ru Group. At the time, Mail.ru Group held 40% and United Capital Partners held 48% of VK shares.
April 2014: Durov Refuses to Comply with Data Requests
Pavel Durov publicly refused to comply with requests from Russian security agencies to provide personal data of Ukrainian protesters and to block Alexei Navalny's page on VK in April 2014, asserting that the requests were unlawful.
April 2014: Durov Dismissed as CEO of VK
Pavel Durov was removed from his position as CEO of VK on April 21, 2014. The company claimed to be acting on his earlier resignation letter, which he stated he did not recall. Durov alleged that the company had been effectively taken over by allies of Vladimir Putin and that his ouster was due to his refusal to hand over user data to Russian authorities, including information about members of a VK group supporting the Euromaidan protests. He subsequently left Russia.
April 2014: Durov's Resignation and April Fool's Joke
On April 1, 2014, Pavel Durov announced his resignation from VK, initially believed to be related to the Russo-Ukrainian War. However, he later clarified it was an April Fool's joke.
August 2014: Durov Named Most Promising Northern European Leader
Pavel Durov was recognized as the most promising leader under 30 in Northern Europe in August 2014.
2017: Durov Joins WEF Young Global Leaders
In 2017, Pavel Durov was selected to represent Finland as a member of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders program.
January 2018: Launch of "Gram" Cryptocurrency and TON Platform
In January 2018, Pavel Durov announced the launch of the "Gram" cryptocurrency and the TON platform as a means of monetizing Telegram. Despite raising $1.7 billion from investors, the ventures were halted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which claimed they violated U.S. financing laws.
June 2018: Durov Receives Award for Stance Against Censorship
The Union of Kazakhstan's Journalists honored Pavel Durov with an award in June 2018 for his firm stance against censorship and government interference in online communication.
2018: Russia Attempts to Block Telegram
In 2018, Russia made attempts to block Telegram after the company refused to cooperate with Russian security services. The block, reportedly linked to Telegram's plans to launch the Telegram Open Network, was eventually lifted in 2020.
2020: Telegram Block Lifted in Russia
After two years of attempted blocks, Russia lifted its restrictions on Telegram in 2020. The official reason cited was Telegram's agreement to assist in countering terrorism and extremism on its platform.
April 2021: Durov Receives UAE Citizenship
In April 2021, Pavel Durov obtained citizenship in the United Arab Emirates.
August 2021: Durov Becomes French Citizen
Pavel Durov acquired French citizenship in August 2021, granting him citizenship within the European Union.
March 2022: Durov Reveals Ukrainian Heritage
In March 2022, Pavel Durov publicly acknowledged his Ukrainian heritage, stating that his maternal family line originates from Kyiv.
2022: Durov Recognized as Richest Expat in UAE
In 2022, Forbes named Pavel Durov the richest expat residing in the United Arab Emirates.
February 2023: Durov Named Most Powerful Entrepreneur in Dubai
In February 2023, Arabian Business recognized Pavel Durov as the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.
February 2023: Named Most Powerful Entrepreneur in Dubai
In February 2023, Pavel Durov was recognized for his influence and success in the business world by being named the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai by Arabian Business.
August 2024: Arrest of Pavel Durov in France
In August 2024, Pavel Durov was arrested in France on charges related to complicity in criminal offenses and the spread of criminal activity on Telegram due to a perceived lack of moderators.
August 24, 2024: Durov Arrested in France
On August 24, 2024, Pavel Durov was arrested upon arriving at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris by French authorities. The arrest was based on an arrest warrant related to a preliminary investigation involving numerous complicity charges.
August․2024: Durov's Net Worth Reaches $15.5 Billion
As of August․2024, Pavel Durov's net worth was estimated at $15.5 billion, ranking him as the 120th richest person globally, according to Forbes.