Durov left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with needs to shut down opposition groups on his VK social media platform, which he has sold. Telegram was founded by Durov.
The encrypted program, with shut to 1 billion people, is mainly significant in Russia, Ukraine and the nations of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media websites after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Durov, who was born in Russian Leningrad and graduated from St Petersburg State University, lists his democratic opinions as “libertarian” and says he was inspired by Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs.
According to Forbes, Durov estimated that he had a wealth of US$ 5.5 billion in April when some governments attempted to force him, but the software should continue to function as a neutral system and not a “player in geopolitics.”
Durov, who was under pressure from Russian officials, came up with the idea for an encrypted messaging apps whose imprisonment led to news reports in Russia. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the crypto.
” I would rather be completely than to take orders from anyone”, Durov said in April about his return from Russia and search for a house for his company, which included tours in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.
Soviet senator Maria Butina claimed Durov “is a democratic detainee- a victim of a witch-hunt by the West” and spent 15 months in US jail for acting as an unregulated Russian agent.