DeutschWhen Pavel Durov first bought Bitcoin in 2013, he was simply seen by many as an eccentric tech founder with too much pocket money. Today, his story sounds like a lesson about perseverance in the crypto universe – and about people who laugh too soon. The entrepreneur, known as the founder of the messenger giant Telegram, spoke surprisingly openly about his early crypto decision on the podcast of US computer scientist Lex Fridman «Fridman-Podcast». At the time, he says, he invested “several million dollars” in Bitcoin – at a price of around $700. Shortly thereafter, the price plummeted to 300, sometimes even 200 dollars. And then came the taunts.
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“Bitcoin is new and risky, you can’t put so much into it,” acquaintances are said to have scoffed. Some followed up: “That was a mistake.” According to the Fridman interview, Durov remembers malicious laughter – and that he didn’t think for a second about selling. His comment at the time: “I don’t care, I’ll keep it.” For him, it wasn’t the hype that was decisive, but a principle: decentralization. No one should be able to confiscate his digital assets. That, he says, is the core of freedom in the digital age for him.
How Telegram Founder Durov Became a Bitcoin Millionaire
Particularly noteworthy is how little pathos the 39-year-old adds to his Bitcoin confession. He doesn’t present himself as a visionary, but as someone who took a logical risk – and was laughed at for it. That’s precisely why his attitude seems almost defiantly relaxed today. Because Durov claims that Bitcoin has helped him to remain financially independent – not Telegram. The messenger, he says in the interview, is more of a loss-making business for him: “People think I’ve made a lot of money with Telegram. In reality, Telegram only costs me money.”
His crypto holdings, on the other hand, are a secure foundation for financing his life without investors or government funds. And he is adamant: In his view, Bitcoin is far from the end of its development. He names a price target without hesitation: “One million dollars – that will come eventually.” This conviction is not romantic for him, but monetary. While governments “print money as if there’s no tomorrow,” Bitcoin remains limited – and therefore more credible than fiat currencies. The classic monetary system, he says, has no chance in the long run against technology, mathematics and scarcity.
Pavel Durov: “Everyone Laughed”
Durov doesn’t say that as a missionary, but as someone who has come to terms with skepticism. The fact that he was arrested in France because of his convictions – another topic in the podcast – only makes his composure more striking. Interestingly, he presents himself neither as a trader nor as a speculator. Sell? Out of the question. “I’ve always done what felt right,” he explains soberly. The fact that others shook their heads back then now seems more amusing than annoying to him.
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In the Swiss crypto scene, where technological openness has now almost become a location factor, Durov’s statement is likely to be received differently: as confirmation, as a warning or as a prime example of visionary stubbornness. But one thing his story clearly shows: Those who get in early don’t always just pay with money – often also with ridicule. And sometimes that is exactly the price for a fortune that does not yet exist. (mck)
