Pavel Valeryevich Durov (Russian: Павел Валерьевич Дуров; born 10 October 1984)[4] is a Russian and Emirati entrepreneur who is the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram Messenger[5] and the co-founder of social networking site VK.
Durov was listed on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2023, with a net worth of $11.5 billion. His fortune is largely driven by his ownership of Telegram.[6] As of 25 August 2024, Durov was the 120th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.[7] In 2022, he was recognized by Forbes as the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates.[8] In February 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.[9]
In August 2024, Durov was arrested in France on numerous criminal charges which involved complicity to criminal offences and the spread of criminal activity on Telegram through lack of moderators.
