Pavel Durov is the founder and CEO of Telegram, the messaging platform with over 900 million users, and a central figure in the creation of the TON (The Open Network) blockchain.
Telegram
Durov co-founded VKontakte (VK), Russia’s largest social network, before leaving Russia in 2014 after clashing with the government over censorship demands. He then founded Telegram, a privacy-focused messaging app that grew to become one of the most popular messaging platforms globally, particularly in crypto communities.
TON Blockchain
In 2018, Telegram raised $1.7 billion through a private token sale for the Telegram Open Network (TON) — one of the largest crypto fundraises in history. The SEC filed suit in 2019 to block the token distribution, arguing the Gram tokens were unregistered securities. Telegram settled with the SEC in 2020, returning $1.2 billion to investors and paying an $18.5 million fine. Telegram officially abandoned the TON project.
However, the open-source TON codebase was picked up by independent developers (the TON Foundation) and relaunched. Telegram later integrated TON into its platform, enabling in-app payments, a TON-based wallet, and mini-apps built on the TON blockchain. This integration gave TON access to Telegram’s massive user base, driving rapid adoption.
Arrest
In August 2024, Durov was arrested in France on charges related to Telegram’s alleged failure to cooperate with law enforcement and moderate illegal content on the platform. The arrest sent shockwaves through the tech and crypto communities and raised questions about the responsibilities of platform operators.