rumors about Telegram being controlled by the Russian authorities are beneficial to competitors – Kommersant

The information that Telegram is controlled by the Russian authorities is being spread by people who do not know the history of its founding, said the general director and creator of the messenger Pavel Durov in interview American journalist Tucker Carlson. The entrepreneur noted that these rumors are supported by Telegram’s competitors, who pay attention to the growth of the platform’s audience.

“This could be said by people with very limited knowledge of where Telegram came from. And they can be encouraged by our competitors, who see this as a good way to discredit us, because Telegram is spreading like wildfire,” said Pavel Durov.

According to him, he does not spend “a single dollar” on marketing, while 2.5 million users register on Telegram daily, and their total number has reached 900 million people. “Our competitors spend tens of billions of dollars on marketing, and they are known for using PR firms for campaigns like this,” Mr. Durov said.

In an interview, Pavel Durov said that the idea of ​​​​creating Telegram came to him when he was still in Russia, and was associated with the desire to develop a secure and independent platform for communication. Seven years ago, the main office of the messenger, launched in 2013, was opened in Dubai. Pavel Durov explained that this decision is also due to the “political neutrality” of the UAE and the lack of pressure from local authorities.

Lusine Balasyan