Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that he wanted to settle in the US, but changed his mind
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said in an interview that he wanted to settle in the US, but changed his mind when he was attacked by street robbers in San Francisco.
After leaving Russia, the entrepreneur spent some time in Germany, but, according to him, did not take root there because of excessive bureaucracy – and moved with his business to the UAE.
“About San Francisco. We really thought it was the right place for us because all the tech companies are located in or around San Francisco,” Durov said in an interview with US TV journalist Tucker Carlson.
The city and the US as a whole had its impression of itself ruined after Durov was attacked by muggers on a San Francisco street – for the first and only time in his life.
“Three big guys tried to snatch my phone out of my hands. I was tweeting at this point about how I had just met the founder of Twitter. It seemed like a good idea to me at the time,” Durov revealed.
He fought off the robbers, but the experience was a shock. “I travel a lot, but this was the first time I was attacked,” the businessman admitted.
The second reason not to move to the US was, according to him, the excessive attention of the local intelligence services. Durov explained his choice in favour of the UAE by the ease of doing business there, the efficiency of the tax system, high-quality infrastructure, the country’s neutrality and zero pressure from the authorities.