The owner of the Telegram company, Pavel Durov, said in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson that he has several hundred million in dollars and bitcoins. At the same time, he, according to him, never strived for wealth and luxury.
Note that this is the first interview in video format with Durov in a long time. According to him, the material was filmed back in February 2024, but the video was published on Carlson’s channel only on April 16.
During the interview, the host touched on several topics. In particular, this is the Telegram IPO, Durov’s approach to doing business, his condition, the economic climate in the UAE and pressure from the authorities.
“For me, this [Telegram project] was never about money. So I had several hundred million dollars and bitcoins in my account 10 years ago and I didn't do anything with them. I don’t have real estate, private planes or yachts,” Durov said.
According to the owner of Telegram, he values freedom first of all, so he does not burden himself with luxury. Durov also noted that he wants to devote all his time to working on the messenger, and everything else will only distract him.
He said that the rapid development of Telegram is the result of his approach to doing business. For a long time Pavel has remained the head of the company and the only product manager.
Also, according to him, the current staff of the company consists of only about 30 people. In this regard, he does not plan to conduct an IPO, at least in the near future.
Rumors about this appeared several years ago. In March 2024, Durov said that Telegram’s potential market valuation exceeds $30 billion, noting the possibility of an IPO “as a way to democratize access to the messenger.”
Also during the interview, Durov mentioned:
- increased interest in him from the American authorities;
- the fact that all smartphones based on iOS and Android are compromised, and specially protected devices may appear in the future;
- the UAE has the best business climate in the world with low taxes and no bureaucracy;
- the arrival of billionaire Elon Musk in X is a positive shift in the development of the platform;
- the secret of Telegram's success is to make a good product, then the audience will become interested in it.
