Early Life and Education
Pavel Durov was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, on October 10, 1984. He spent much of his childhood in Turin, Italy, where his father, Valery Durov, worked as a professor of philology. Durov graduated from the Academic Gymnasium in St. Petersburg and later studied philology at Saint Petersburg State University. During his university years, he showed a strong interest in computer programming and created two websites: durov.com and spbgu.ru.
Rise to Success
Durov's entrepreneurial journey began with the creation of VKontakte (VK), a social networking site launched in 2006 with his brother Nikolai and friends. Inspired by Facebook, VK quickly gained popularity in Russia, growing to over 100 million users under Durov's leadership. However, Durov's refusal to comply with government demands for user data and censorship led to his departure from VK in 2014.
Key Business Strategies
In 2013, Durov and his brother Nikolai launched Telegram, a secure messaging app. Telegram gained popularity due to its focus on privacy and encryption, becoming a major competitor to WhatsApp and other messaging platforms. Durov's strategy included a strong emphasis on user privacy, attracting a large user base seeking secure communication. Telegram also utilized a subscription model to generate revenue, ensuring its financial independence.
Philanthropy
Durov has made charitable donations, including a $1 million donation to the Wikimedia Foundation on his 27th birthday. He is also planning to leave his fortune to his over 100 children.