Durov left with his 6.6 billion, but without his former billionaire status

According to Forbes, his fortune decreased from 17.1 billion dollars in 2024 to 6.6 billion dollars. The businessman first entered the publication's rating in 2016 with an estimate of 600 million dollars, and acquired billionaire status in 2018.

His capital reached a maximum of 17.2 billion dollars in 2021 amid Telegram's first bond placements. Investors then valued the company at 30–35 billion dollars. Durov himself, in a 2024 Financial Times interview, also referred to bankers' preliminary estimate of 30 billion dollars ahead of a possible IPO.

However, market realities turned out to be more restrained. For comparison, experts cite Snapchat's figures: with a comparable audience (946 million vs. 1 billion users), the American platform's revenue for 2025 reached 5.9 billion dollars, almost three times exceeding Telegram's forecasts. Meanwhile, Snapchat's losses amounted to 460 million dollars, while Durov's messenger showed a minus of 222 million dollars in the first half of the year alone.

Snapchat's capitalization decreased to 8.7 billion dollars over the year, which, according to Forbes sources, became a key benchmark for Telegram's revaluation. An additional pressure factor was the debt burden. In March 2026, the company faces repaying bonds worth 1.1 billion dollars. Durov refinanced part of the obligations in June by placing a new issue of 1.7 billion dollars at 9% annual interest, which the market viewed as a signal of increased risks.

The publication's sources do not rule out that settlement with bondholders may occur through share transfer rather than cash. As for the IPO, market participants do not expect a placement in the near future. Reasons include messenger blocks in several countries, including Russia, and the company's reluctance to go public at a valuation below the previously stated one.