In Durov’s absence, Telegram’s future seems uncertain for some: “I’m in shock, and everyone close to Pavel feels the same way,” says Georgy Lobushkin, former PR manager of VK, the network social co-founded by Durov, and who is still in regular contact. with Durov. “No one was prepared for this situation.” When asked if he is worried about the future of Telegram and who might lead the company in Durov’s absence, Lobushkin responds: “[I] I worry a lot.

TF1Info, which first reported Durov’s arrest in France, said it was “beyond any doubt” that Durov would remain in custody during the investigation. “Pavel Durov will end up in pre-trial detention, that’s for sure,” an anonymous investigator told the press.

“No one at Telegram was prepared for such a scenario,” says Anton Rozenberg, who worked with Durov from the early days of VK in 2007, before working for Telegram from 2016 to 2017. Rozenberg predicted that Durov would get the best defense legally possible. . “But without him, the messenger could have huge problems with the management, with all the crucial decisions and even with the payments,” he added, given Durov’s personal involvement in the management of the ‘business. Rozenberg didn’t see an obvious replacement for Durov, who makes key decisions on almost everything at Telegram: financing, development strategies, product design, monetization and content moderation policy.

For now, we can expect everything to continue as normal, says Elies Campo, who led Telegram’s growth, business and partnerships from 2015 to 2021. “Depending on how long this will last, It’s like a government, isn’t it? There is this structure, there is a personal impetus. Campo adds that the company’s workforce is small enough (around 60 employees) that infrastructure is not affected.

The challenge, Campo concedes, would be that Durov would have to be physically present to pay contractors – something Rozenberg also pointed out.

“As far as I know, it was Pavel who was making the payments,” Campo explains. “So what’s going to happen when you have to pay certain infrastructure providers, or providers in terms of connectivity, and he’s still under arrest?”