Now Reading: Pavel Durov credits success to 20 years of abstinence
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Pavel Durov credits success to 20 years of abstinence
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov posted on X in 2025 that his success and health stem from over two decades of avoiding alcohol, tobacco, coffee, pills, illegal drugs, farm meat, and social media.…
The Story in Brief
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov posted on X in 2025 that his success and health stem from over two decades of avoiding alcohol, tobacco, coffee, pills, illegal drugs, farm meat, and social media. The Russian-born founder also performs 300 push-ups and squats daily, goes to the gym five to six times a week, and alternates between ice baths and saunas, the Times of India reports.
Durov’s diet is limited to seafood and wild-caught fish, eaten once or twice a day within a six-hour window, with periodic multi-day water fasts. The 40-year-old entrepreneur, who built Telegram as a privacy-focused platform, currently resides in Dubai after French authorities eased travel restrictions following his arrest in August 2024 over moderation issues.
The Indian Opinion
Durov’s self-discipline is admirable, but the narrative that extreme personal abstinence alone drives success ignores his vast privilege and the legal battles surrounding Telegram. His hands-off moderation policy has enabled criminal activity, yet the focus often stays on his ice baths and fasting. The real test: will his lifestyle protect him from the consequences of his platform's actions as courts in France and Russia press forward? One million users can't be wrong about the app's utility, but neither can the charges.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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