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View this X/Twitter post from @TheForexComplex published on 10 Haziran 2025 14:19. This post contains 9 images.
This man refused to give Putin access to his users' data. It cost him everything: • His company • His country • His safety Today, he's worth $15B and controls how 900M people communicate. Here’s the incredible story of Pavel Durov:
First, they came for VK (Russia’s Facebook that Durov built). But when the Kremlin demanded user data to monitor dissidents during the Ukraine crisis… Durov chose principles over profit. He sold everything, fled Russia, and went all-in on Telegram.
Russia wasn't done with him. In 2018, they demanded Telegram's encryption keys for mass surveillance. Durov's response was crystal clear: He'd rather see Telegram banned than compromise user privacy. Russia banned the app completely.
The ban backfired. Telegram's global server network made Russia's restrictions largely ineffective. Users in censored regions like Iran and Belarus flocked to the platform. By 2020, Russia quietly lifted the ban after failing to block it.
Then came August 2024. French police arrested Durov at Le Bourget airport. 12 charges, including complicity in child abuse material and drug trafficking. Potential penalty: up to 20 years in prison. His crime? Refusing to moderate his platform the way governments wanted.
The arrest created a global firestorm. Telegram saw massive download spikes and topped France's App Store charts. Elon Musk called it "an attack on free speech." Users worldwide rallied behind the "Free Pavel" movement.
But Telegram's estimated $30B valuation kept climbing: • 950 million monthly active users • Premium subscriptions launched in 2021 And Pavlov got multiple citizenships across 4 countries (so no single government can control him).
Durov's lesson for wealth builders: Your competitors will bow to pressure. Governments will demand compliance. Critics will call you reckless. Stand your ground anyway.
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