The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has disclosed details of a poisoning attack he survived in 2018, revealing the incident occurred during a critical phase of his business ventures. In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Durov described experiencing severe physical distress after discovering a “strange neighbor” leaving an unknown package at his doorstep.
Durov recounted waking up the following day on the floor, unable to stand due to burst blood vessels and prolonged pain, requiring two weeks of recovery. He stated that the incident was kept private at the time to avoid public concern, as Telegram was actively pursuing funding for its TON blockchain project. During this period, several governments, including Russia’s, sought to ban the messaging app, though efforts ceased in 2020.
The entrepreneur detailed losing his eyesight and hearing abruptly, along with acute breathing difficulties, during the attack. “One thing I was certain about is, yeah, this is it,” he said, reflecting on the moment he believed he was dying. Durov emphasized that the incident remained undisclosed publicly until now, focusing instead on business priorities.