Mr Durov is presently solely being detained
Harsh Goenka, a widely known businessman with an energetic social media presence, lately posted an attention-grabbing replace on X. In his put up, Mr Goenka emphasised the effectivity of Telegram’s operations, noting: “Telegram, led by lately arrested founder Pavel Durov, has round 1 billion customers, a $30 billion market cap, no adverts, solely 30 staff, and no HR (Durov manages all the pieces himself, recruiting high expertise via contests). That is what you name lean!”
Watch the viral video right here:
Telegram, led by lately arrested founder Pavel Durov, has ~1B customers, market cap $30bn, no adverts, solely 30 staff, and no HR (Durov runs the present solo, recruiting high expertise via contests). Discuss lean! pic.twitter.com/sI6bF85r5Q
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) August 27, 2024
Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport close to Paris by French authorities. The arrest is linked to a preliminary police investigation regarding allegations that Telegram has facilitated legal actions on account of inadequate content material moderation and an absence of cooperation with legislation enforcement. In response to a Reuters supply, Durov’s arrest is linked to those points.
In response, Telegram’s official X account dismissed the accusations as “absurd,” denying any duty for the misuse of the platform. In a associated assertion, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the state of affairs on X, clarifying that Durov’s arrest was not a “political resolution.” Macron reaffirmed France’s dedication to freedom of expression whereas stressing that such freedoms are maintained inside a authorized framework designed to guard residents.
Pavel Durov, 39, is the founder and CEO of Telegram, a number one social media app. Born within the former Soviet Union, Durov studied at St. Petersburg College in Russia. He co-founded VKontakte, a preferred social media platform in Russia, earlier than leaving the nation on account of authorities stress handy over person information. “It was troublesome as a result of my first firm was like my baby,” Durov mentioned in a 2024 interview. “However I noticed I valued my freedom extra and did not wish to take orders from anybody,” he added.
In 2013, Durov and his brother Nikolai launched Telegram, specializing in person privateness and enabling massive teams of as much as 200,000 members. Telegram’s options, resembling multi-device syncing, have distinguished it from rivals like WhatsApp. The app now has over 900 million customers and has contributed to Durov’s billionaire standing. He holds citizenship in France and the UAE, along with retaining his Russian citizenship.
Durov is presently solely being detained, and it stays to be seen what, if something, will occur to him within the coming days.
But when he’s charged and efficiently prosecuted, it may lay the groundwork for France to take wider actions in opposition to not solely tech platforms but additionally their house owners. It may additionally embolden nations around the globe – within the West and past – to undertake their investigations.