“The Durov Code 2: A New Book on Telegram’s Power”
World
In December 2025, the Russian publishing house “Alpina Publisher” will release the second part of Pavel Durov’s biography — “The Durov Code 2: Telegram, Global Power and the Dangerous Freedom of Speech.” The author, journalist and former Forbes editor Nikolai V. Kononov, returns to Durov’s story more than a decade later to reassess the path of the founder of VKontakte and Telegram.
The first book, published in 2012, became a major success, portraying the young entrepreneur who built Russia’s most popular social network as a visionary and technological prodigy. But the years that followed were far more dramatic. After selling his stake in VKontakte, Durov left Russia and launched Telegram, strengthening his global status but also drawing conflicts with governments around the world. In 2024, he was jailed in France over concerns about how Telegram controls and disseminates information.
In the new volume, Kononov explores Durov’s attempt to build his own cryptocurrency and transform the global financial system — and why the TON project ultimately collapsed. The author also revises his opinion of Durov: once seen as a brilliant coder, he now views him as a “crypto-populist,” in the spirit of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, blending technological ambition with ideological battles over free speech and global influence.
In the new volume, Kononov explores Durov’s attempt to build his own cryptocurrency and transform the global financial system — and why the TON project ultimately collapsed. The author also revises his opinion of Durov: once seen as a brilliant coder, he now views him as a “crypto-populist,” in the spirit of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, blending technological ambition with ideological battles over free speech and global influence.
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