Pavel Durov: Telegram, Freedom, Censorship, Money, Power & Human Nature | Lex Fridman Podcast #482

Description

Pavel Durov is the founder and CEO of Telegram. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep482-sb See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/pavel-durov-transcript *EXTRA FILES FOR EPISODE:* If you need captions or videos with audio tracks for clips etc, go here: https://lexfridman.com/pavel-durov-files *HOW TO SWITCH BETWEEN LANGUAGES:* This episode is available in English, Russian, Ukrainian, French, Hindi. To switch between languages on the main episode YouTube video, click: Settings (Gear Icon) ... Audio Track ... Choose Language. *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Pavel's Telegram: https://t.me/durov Pavel's X: https://x.com/durov Telegram: https://telegram.org/ Telegram Contests: https://contest.com/ *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *Miro:* Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep482-sb *UPLIFT Desk:* Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep482-sb *Fin:* AI agent for customer service. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep482-sb *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep482-sb *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep482-sb *OUTLINE:* 0:00 - Introduction 3:07 - Philosophy of freedom 6:15 - No alcohol 14:20 - No phone 20:16 - Discipline 41:28 - Telegram: Lean philosophy, privacy, and geopolitics 56:50 - Arrest in France 1:13:01 - Romanian elections 1:23:56 - Power and corruption 1:33:29 - Intense education 1:45:29 - Nikolai Durov 1:49:58 - Programming and video games 1:54:11 - VK origins & engineering 2:11:24 - Hiring a great t