Pavel Valeryevich Durov is a technology entrepreneur recognized as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram. Born in Russia, he co-founded the social networking site VKontakte (VK) in 2006. Following disputes with the company's new owners and increased pressure from Russian authorities, he was forced out of VK in 2014, leading him to leave the country.
In 2013, Durov and his older brother, Nikolai Durov, developed Telegram.