Durov gave an interview to Tucker Carlson: the main points
17 April 2024 14:37
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Telegram founder Pavel Durov gave an hour-long interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson, who spoke to Vladimir Putin in February. Komersant ukrainskyi 
collected the main statements of the Telegram founder.
The idea of creating Telegram
Durov came up with the idea to create Telegram after being searched and pressured by Russian security forces, and needed a secure way to communicate.
The founder of the platform says that during the searches, he realised that he did not have a secure way of communication. That he was deprived of the opportunity to contact his brother, to coordinate further steps. Later, Nikolai Durov, Pavel’s brother, developed the encryption standard that Telegram still uses today.
Why Telegram is located in Dubai
Durov explained that he had tried several places to develop a new business, including Berlin, London, and Singapore. But he faced bureaucracy everywhere. For example, in Germany, he was not allowed to hire top programmers working outside the EU. He had to run an advert, wait six months, and if he didn’t find a suitable candidate within the EU, only then could he hire the right employee.
Later, Durov thought about San Francisco. But there were problems there too. After his meeting with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, he was attacked in the street by three unknown men. Durov says that the United States was the only country in the world where he experienced a street attack. It came as a shock to him. He smashed his smartphone on his own, fought back and managed to escape.
On the attention of the FBI
In a conversation with the former Fox News host, Durov complained about the excessive attention of the FBI when he came to the United States. According to the St Petersburg native, “every time” he came to the US, he was met at the airport by two agents who asked him questions.
He said that the FBI had offered the Telegram developer to secretly introduce tools into the messenger that could become backdoors, which would potentially allow access to users’ correspondence.
Durov added that there were even attempts to recruit his technical employee to “leak” information. He emphasised that this was also the reason why he does not do business in the US.
He also mentioned that Telegram had received threats from representatives of both the Democratic and Republican parties after the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The Telegram founder added that he does not believe in the security of American platforms, as espionage in the US is explained by security.
On ties with the Russian authorities
Durov denied that Telegram was linked to the Russian authorities. He stated that the information that Telegram is controlled by the Russian authorities is spread by people “with very limited knowledge”, as well as by the messenger’s competitors, who note the growth of Telegram’s audience.
According to Durov, when he was running VKontakte, the Russian authorities demanded that he provide personal data of the organisers of the protests in Ukraine, and he refused. After that, Durov said, security forces came to his house to search it, and he was offered two options: either to comply with the authorities’ demands or to sell his stake in VKontakte, resign as CEO and leave the country. He chose the latter.
It makes no difference whether the opposition or the government uses Telegram
Durov said that for him it makes no difference whether the opposition or the state uses Telegram. Everyone should be subject to the same rules.
The Telegram creator acknowledged that his app is often used during protests – in Belarus, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, and the recent actions in Barcelona. But the creators of the app do not choose sides in these conflicts, they believe that all voices should be heard. Durov does not want to participate in the geopolitical struggle, pick winners and losers, or take part in political conflicts. That’s why Telegram chose Dubai, where there is political neutrality.
Durov believes that each platform plays its own role. But humanity needs a neutral app that respects the privacy and freedom of its users.
It is worth noting that theAmerican pro-Russian journalist Tucker Carlson recently interviewed Vladimir Putin the day before . The interview with journalist Tucker Carlson was Putin’s first interview with a foreign media figure since the invasion in February 2022.
The result of the collaboration between the Russian war criminal and the American propagandist was expected to be one of the most vile information products that either of them has ever created. But from the point of view of Russian narratives, Putin said nothing new. Putin used the opportunity to push his narrative on the war in Ukraine, to call on Washington to recognise Moscow’s interests and to pressure Kyiv to come to the negotiating table.
For more than two hours, Putin bombarded Carlson with Russian history, propaganda, and Kremlin talk.
At the end, he directly addressed the United States, repeating and copying Carlson’s own rhetoric. Putin reminded them that America has so many problems of its own – why should it get involved in a conflict tens of thousands of miles away? Wouldn’t it be better to reach an agreement with Russia and start respecting it and its interests?
Throughout the interview, the American propagandist did not ask Putin a single uncomfortable question. Carlson was also completely uninterested in the lives of Ukrainians and Russian military atrocities.
Read more:
What Putin and Carlson talked about
