Telegram founder Pavel Durov has claimed that he survived a poisoning attempt in 2018, but kept it a secret till now to focus on business priorities. In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, the billionaire CEO said that he experienced severe pain all over his body after returning to his rented house and noticing a “strange neighbour” leaving something by his door.
“That was the only instant in my life that I thought I was dying,” Durov told Fridman on Monday. “One thing I was certain about is, yeah, this is it,” he said.
Durov recalled that he and his brother were developing the digital ledger through the project TON, and raised over $1.7 billion in three months when he was allegedly poisoned. He said that he arrived back at his rented townhouse, where he lived alone, when he found something his “weird neighbour” had left him at the door.
“One hour after, when I was already in my bed, I felt very bad. I felt pain all over my body,” he said, adding, “I tried to get up and go to the bathroom. But while I was going there, I felt the functions of my body started to switch off.”
The 40-year-old claimed that he lost his eyesight and hearing before he began having trouble breathing. “Everything accompanied by very acute pain. Heart, stomach, all blood vessels. It’s difficult to explain, but one thing I was certain about was, ‘yeah, this is it,'” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The 40-year-old claimed that he lost his eyesight and hearing before he began having trouble breathing. “Everything accompanied by very acute pain. Heart, stomach, all blood vessels. It’s difficult to explain, but one thing I was certain about was, ‘yeah, this is it,'” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see anything, was very painful. I thought it was over. I thought, ‘Well, I had a good life. Managed to accomplish a few things. Then I collapsed on the floor,” the billionaire recalled.
‘Every new day is a gift’
Durov said that he woke up on the ground the next day, but couldn’t stand up. She said he felt “super weak” and discovered that his blood vessels all over his body were “broken”. “Something like this never happened to me. I couldn’t walk for two weeks after,” he told Fridman.
The tech entrepreneur said that he remained silent about his medical emergency for nearly a decade because he was in the process of developing a blockchain to be compatible with his messaging site, and feared any word of his health would cause problems. He also kept his team out of the loop because he didn’t want them to worry.
Durov said that his alleged poisoning made him view life with extra gratitude for his everyday schedule. “If anything, I felt even more free after that. After you survive something like this, you feel like you’re living on bonus time. In a way, you died a long time ago and every new day you get is a gift,” he said.