Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old founder and CEO of Telegram, operates his $30 billion messaging platform with an impressively lean structure—just 30 employees and no dedicated HR department. This unconventional approach has garnered attention, particularly after prominent Indian businessman Harsh Goenka highlighted it in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter). Durov takes on multiple roles, including that of the sole product manager and HR, personally recruiting top engineers through contests.
Despite Telegram’s staggering user base of nearly 1 billion, Durov manages operations solo, emphasizing user privacy and innovative features that set the app apart from competitors like WhatsApp. Founded in 2013 by Durov and his brother Nikolai, Telegram has gained popularity for its commitment to privacy and ability to support large groups.
Durov’s journey is marked by his previous experience as co-founder of VKontakte, a major Russian social media platform. After leaving Russia due to governmental pressure to surrender user data, he established Telegram as a safe haven for free communication. Now a billionaire with citizenship in France, the UAE, and Russia, Durov continues to navigate challenges, including recent legal issues in France related to content moderation on Telegram. He has publicly defended the platform’s practices while pledging to enhance safety measures in response to concerns raised by authorities.
