Billionaire Privacy Warrior Ditches Kremlin for Dubai Tax Haven
Pavel Durov, Russia-born kingpin of Telegram, just hit $17.1B net worth as of 2025 with his billion-user, $30B messaging empire where he proudly sits as sole shareholderâtake that, boring board meetings! Born a Soviet intellectual, he cofounded Telegram with brother Nikolai in 2013 after cashing out $300M from Vkontakte (2006-2014), the Russian social site Kremlin loved to hate. Post-SWAT raid exile to Dubai followed his 2017 move, charming locals with tax-free money magic. Telegram raked in over $1B revenue in 2024 amid Kremlin bans and cult-like protests holding saintified Pavel signs. Also, a $2.4B debt mountain and a $50M crypto username side hustle (in just 5 weeks, with 5 people, including himself). Well, when youâre proudly independent and quietly burning oligarch bridges, 100% owner is just how you roll!
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When your startup rival burns billions lobbying but you single-handedly build a $30B, 1B-user fortress from Dubai's tax-free throne, and somehow, also dodge Kremlin sweaty hands while collecting $50M usernames on the sideâitâs a flex no PR team can spin better.
They said ditch state control, hold a billion users, and still pay off $2B debtâall while moving work HQ to a desert paradise with no income tax. Pavelâs plan: become the richest privacy warrior the Kremlin wished theyâd hacked.
Selling out to Moscowâs oligarch pals? No thanks. Pavel preferred a SWAT raid, a Russian exile, and making $50M off digital usernames with the bare minimum crew. If loneliness at the top had a billionaire face, itâs this guy.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 11/13/2025 | Author: Marielle Descalsota,Katie Balevic,Lakshmi Varanasi
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