Biography
Pavel Durov is a Russian programmer and a businessman belonging to the number of people with the highest level of IQ in the world. He will forever remain in the memory of users as the creator of the social network "VKontakte".Childhood and youth
Pavel Durov was born in October 1984. His father, doctor of philological sciences Valery Semenovich - Native Leningradets, marrying Albin Durov, the future mother of the businessman, took the name of the spouse. In 1992, antique literature specialist was headed by the Department at the Philfak of St. Petersburg State University. Albina Rode from Omsk, also taught in this university.
Paul has a brother Nicholas, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Nikolay early manifested himself as a gifted programmer, even in childhood he participated in mathematical competitions and the Olympiads and twice became an absolute world champion in programming among students. Later, Nikolai helped his brother to create a famous social network and a long time was the technical director of the company.
At first, Paul lived and studied in Turin, and after returning to Russia he entered academic gymnasium. The main direction of study is the knowledge of the foundations of philology. In the 11th grade, he began to be interested in programming, virtual computer projects.
After graduating from a gymnasium with a silver medal of a young genius, he entered St. Petersburg State University at the Faculty of Philology. During his stay at the university, he often became a scholarshot and a laureate of the Potanan Prize.
In addition to learning languages and hobbies by programming, Pavel Durov was engaged in military training. The title is the reserve lieutenant. University training lasted until 2006 and ended with a red diploma, which Paul did not take it. Even in the youth, the future millionaire decided that he did not want to spend every day for monotonous work in the office, and determined for himself that was created for the Internet.
"In contact with"
The first development of simplifying messaging and useful information is introduced by Durov at the university. The created search library of important materials, abstracts and a small forum of students became new entanglement of the young programmer. The site got the name of the author - Durov.com.The next step in the development of the network space was an online resource SPBGU.RU, the prototype "VKontakte". After this platform, Paul has already represented how the relationship in the future social network should be built.
The desire to create a practical portal for communication appeared after a meeting with a friend who came from abroad. The story about the social network Facebook, which stores full information about users, allowed to create a layout of a multiplayer Russian-speaking resource.
The development of VKontakte Pavel Durov was engaged together with his brother Nikolai. The first official user was registered in the social network in October 2006. The network was originally closed and replenished by participants only with the help of invitations. In December 2006, the portal began to register everyone.
Initially, the social network was called "Students.ru", but soon it was changed to a comprehensive "VKontakte".
Project promotion and its expansion took about 2 years. The formation period made it possible to significantly improve the design and maximize the project interface. The resulting system has become comfortable and practical. In 2008, the number of registered users of Vkontakte passed for 20 million, and Pavel Durov became a real legend, which was compared with the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg.
The fact that Durov has achieved success, it became clear almost immediately. This fact did not hide from the eye of the Russian journalist and writer Nikolai Kononov, who in 2012 released a novel about the creators of the largest social network "Code of the Durov. The real story of "VKontakte" and its creator ", based on the facts from the life of a man and his interview.
At the beginning of 2014, Paul sold part of the shares (12%) and on April 1, he stated his care from the post of Director General of VKontakte. After 2 days, he denied his own statement by calling him a primary joke. However, on April 21, Durov was still fired. Disputes about the reasons for the removal of Paul from the company created by him do not subside until now.
According to a number of business publications, these 12% bought former director of MegaFon Ivan Tavrin. Acquisition cost a top manager in the amount of $ 360 to $ 480 million.
After a long "war, Pavel Durov sold" VC ", or rather its share of Mail.Ru Group shares. The company has become the owner of the controlling package (52%). In the same year, the UCP Foundation, the owner of the other shares, said that the actions of Mail.Ru Group contradict the interests of "VC", and initiated legal proceedings.
"Telegram"
After leaving Vkontakte, Paul did not stop developing new projects. On August 14, 2013, Telegram appeared. Messenger did not have a revolutionary functional, his "chip" consisted in another. This project of Durov used a special correspondence encryption technology, which Nikolai came up with, and created a truly secure communication channel.
Paul him admitted that this idea came to mind when a special forces knocked home to him, and he could not even tell his relatives, not being confident that the message would not intercept the authorities of this squad.
Government representatives were offered several times to block Telegram, if he does not change his privacy policy, but Paul remained adamant and officially stated that the messenger did not give out and will not issue personal user data.
In 2016, Paul joined an open confrontation with the FBI. Durov again refused to produce user data, and the FBI hacked Telegram.
In 2017, Paul opened the headquarters of the company in Dubai and reset the lists of friends and subscribers in "Instagram", "Twitter", Facebook and YouTube. Social networks, according to the founder of VKontakte, is an outdated way to communicate. Information in the news feed is superfluous, "trash". Do not be afraid to clear the place for the new. Therefore, according to Durov, everyone who really wants to be in the subject and remain relevant, go to messengers.
In the summer of the same year, Telegram was the threat of blocking from Indonesia, or rather, representatives of this country. This happened due to the lack of response to the request for blocking terrorist channels. According to Durov, misunderstanding arose in this issue, as he did not know about the request of the government.
The programmer respond quickly to this situation, promising to solve the problem. He acted in three stages: Blocked channels from the list of Indonesian authorities, entered the officials in direct contact and formed a special team that owns the language of this country.
In the spring of 2018, after another attempt at Roskomnadzor, the messenger was blocked by a massive protest action: the residents of Russia launched paper airplanes on the streets - the application symbol on the streets. Despite all the problems, Telegram continues to work and now, as before, remains accessible to the Russians.
Ton and gram
By the end of 2017, rumors appeared about the creation of the Durov's own cryptocurrency "Graham" and the Telegram Open Network blockchard. The first taller Anton Rosenberg said about this with the scandal. Paul in this way collects funds for the development of the messenger.
The main difference between TON from other blocks - high speed, as well as integration into other social networks, messengers and support of 4 billion digital money.
After the second closed preservation of Telegram, according to The Wall Street Journal, the programmer received $ 1.7 billion and refused to go to public stock location. At the same time, officially Paul never commented on the collection of money for the project.
At the beginning of 2020, Paul was charged with the use of cryptocurrency as an unregistered security.
Durov stood on his own, explaining that GRAM had no relation to securities. At the same time, he spent money investors on equipment, as well as technical participation in the project. The programmer did not receive specific accusations, and therefore after 10-hour interrogation went home. However, in the spring he announced the closure of Ton.
Scandals and conflicts
The hard temper of Pavel Durov was often led to scandalous incidents. Thus, a wide resonance in society called a photo Paul with a middle finger raised, which, according to the creator of Vkontakte, was the official response to the Mail.Ru Group's offer to buy a social network.No smaller resonance caused a scandal with a throwing out of the central office "VKontakte" of cash bills, isolated in the form of paper airplanes. This act was criticized by Russian cultural and politics figures.
Paul himself admitted in an interview that there was no evil intent, just wanted to create a festive atmosphere for the city day. He told that he threw money from the window and was glad to see and the pillar, and the reaction of people is not because he wanted to demonstrate wealth and significance, but because he saw surprise and joy on the faces of citizens.
According to approximate estimates, Durov and top managers of VKontakte, about $ 2 thousand were thrown into the window to reproach Paul in snobism and mercantility difficult, at that time he lived in a removable apartment near the office and always allowed the company to spend the night from him at home.
A lot of problems experienced "VKontakte" due to non-compliance with copyright. The conflict with the newspaper "Vedomosti" led to mutual blockages of references and pages. After the claims of the singer Sergey Lazareva, the founder of the network removed all his compositions, the artist acted as well with his own account and returned to VKontakte only in 2016, after the departure of the Durov and the monetization of listening to music.
In 2019, a new topic was discussed with the name of Pavel Durov. In an interview, Nastya Fish, known as a hunter on billionaires, spoke about a meeting with a programmer. According to the girl, it happened at the time of her life in Dubai, alleged Paul wrote to her on social networks and offered to see. The meeting took place in the trendy club of the city, but did not lead to anything.
The fish explained that in the life of Durov looks much more modest than in the photo on the Internet, and also accused him of homosexualism. Allegedly, the man was in the company of a friend all evening and showed feelings too gently. At the same time, fish attempts to take possession of Paul, according to her, were not crowned with success.
In 2020, a businessman in his telegram-channel laid out the post with the charges of Facebook and Instagram in the fact that the social network earned money for advertising for more than a year, which is published alleged on his behalf.
In connection with this situation, Durov repeatedly stated in the press that neither he nor his team would provide people to the platform for earnings. The lack of reaction from social network prompted the programmer to treat them by the court.
Emigration
On April 22, 2014, there was information that Pavel Durov went beyond the country and is not going to return. And if a month before this programmer wrote about Russia as a place in which it is worth living, then after his opinion was changed completely in the opposite direction.
Paul received Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship. The passport of this island state allows Durov to travel freely around the world. Country without problems provided him with citizenship for allegedly paid $ 250 thousand.
As you know, after departure from Russia, Durov lives in another country - the United Arab Emirates. Make this man managed due to the presence of a resident visa, which, in fact, is a residence permit.
Views and beliefs
Durov calls his views Libertarian, and the greatest value considers freedom.Businessman published a list of requirements, after the fulfillment of which he is ready to return to his homeland. The text has been naked political and social problems of the state. The conditions that, according to Paul, would change the Russian Federation for the better:
- Honest courts, where people are prescribed, and not officials;
- Fair and correct, and not excessive and contradictory laws;
- Open elections so that public posts can be set up by passing the competition;
- Cancellation of VAT due to export revenues;
- autonomous and self-sufficient regions that do not send cash flows to Moscow;
- Replacing the template education system for experimental programs.
From his own history of success, Durov does not make secrets. His earnings made up not one million dollars, but the programmer came to the conclusion that money is not a goal for a person, but a direct path to slavery. The principles that Paul are guided by now are closed in the form of a list of 25 rules. Each of which is a kind of commandment for those who risk getting out of the total mass and go through self-improvement and creation.
Personal life
Close-like Durov claims that in life it is the same workaholic as it seems when looking at his biography. Paul is polite, poorly accurate and does not like to talk about his personal life.
Such mystery gave rise to many speculations. It is believed that the young entrepreneur is not officially married, but some of the media claim that Daria Bondarenko, with which a businessman is familiar with the student, gave birth to Paul two children. But if the arguments and evidence of the communication of the Durov with a girl and can be found, then evidence that the billionaire has become a happy father does not exist.
Pavlu was attributed to the relationship with the former civil wife of Timati Alena Shishkova, the model by Vika Odintova and blogger Masha Trotsky. But the presses of the press are built on the photo of the photo of the Durov with girls in the network, and there is no other confirmation.
Not only the marital status of the businessman attracts attention, but also its appearance. The programmer's classmates argue that in his youth, there were rare hair. Paul has never been lysum, but suffered by androgenic alopecia. On the official photo, a young entrepreneur flames a gorgeous chapel that he gave rise to rumors about hair transplant.
A businessman with an average growth of 176 cm has a sports physique and attractive features of the face, which is noticeable in the children's photo. However, Haters did not leave alone and this area of the life of celebrities, attributing to him the passion for plastic. The fans believe that the charismatic programmer resembles a Hollywood star - Keanu Rivza.
Pavel Durov is a dollar billionaire. In 2018, Forbes appreciated the state of Russian at $ 1.7 billion. These figures seemed to analysts highly understated: only on the results of official income Paul in the same year came to the lists of richest people in Russia and took the 58th place.
Pavel Durov now
Now the programmer continues to actively work in the field of existing projects, because it is not possible to sit without affairs.The new word of spring 2021 was the possibility of creating radio stations in the Telegraph. Paul promised that the video broadcasts function will soon become available, which will make the application with a worthy competitor to TVich or Yutube.
In April, on the Kion platform, the biographical film "Durov" directed by Rodion Chapel was held. The businessman himself had no relation to the shooting, the tape is based on well-known facts and stories of his acquaintances.
Projects
- Durov.com.
- spbgu.ru.
- "In contact with"
- Telegram
- Ton.