Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov Faces Possible Prison Sentence in France

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov is facing up to 10 years in prison in France, even as the messaging platform just announced its first annual profit, Fortune’s Dave Smith reported.

Durov, 40, owns Telegram outright and has been compared to “the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia.” I Photo: TechCrunch Flickr

Telegram generated $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024—up from $343 million the year prior—and earned $540 million in profit. Durov, 40, owns the company outright and has been compared to “the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia.”

He is also known for his controversial pro-natalist views.

In July 2024, Durov claimed he has over 100 biological children through sperm donation, helping couples in 12 countries conceive via IVF.

Despite Telegram’s commercial success and growing user base—now one billion users—Durov faces criminal charges in France related to the platform’s alleged role in facilitating illegal activities, including drug trafficking, fraud, and child sexual abuse content.

He was detained outside Paris in August 2024 and barred from leaving the country until March 2025. The high-profile case has reignited debate over how much responsibility tech CEOs bear for criminal activity occurring on their platforms.

Telegram has also recently entered the AI space, partnering with Elon Musk’s xAI to integrate the Grok chatbot. The company has issued $2.4 billion in bonds over four years and repurchased $375 million between September and December 2024.