Pavel Durov’s New Year Message Encourages Humans To Reject ‘Mediocrity’ While Own Legal Troubles Continue

• In a message to welcome the New Year, Pavel Durov has called for his followers to reject relying on stereotypes and outdated thought patterns.
• The message comes as the Telegram founder continues to be embroiled in legal troubles and criticism.
• Durov recently claimed Russian users had more freedom on Telegram than the EU.

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has sent a motivational New Year message to his followers, calling for people to rely on their own opinions and instincts.

As 2025 begins, Durov continues to be embroiled in a series of legal troubles and mounting criticism over his messaging platform’s role in enabling illicit activities.

Durov’s Motivational Message

In a New Year message on his Telegram channel , Durov said humans are “hardwired to copy others by evolution — for a good reason.”

“Mimicking those around us has been the most efficient survival strategy for millions of years,” Durov said.

However, the Telegram CEO claimed that the world is different today.

“We now live in an age of rapid change — what used to be efficient becomes a recipe for mediocrity and decay.”

Entering 2025, Durov called for it to be the year that “we rely on our own opinions—not imposed stereotypes and outdated thought patterns.”

“Only by trusting our instincts and following our own unique paths can we fulfill our potential and make great contributions to the world.”

Durov’s reflection on mediocrity and decay resonates ironically in light of criticism that Telegram’s moderation efforts have lagged behind the platform’s rapid growth.

The Telegram founder’s call to reject outdated patterns aligns with his long-standing resistance to external pressures, such as refusing to share user data with governments.

However, Durov’s recent decision to revise Telegram’s privacy policy could be seen as a deviation from the principles of independence he calls his followers to abide by.

Telegram Founder’s Legal Troubles

In 2024, Durov faced several legal and reputational challenges that tested his leadership and Telegram’s overall credibility.

Detained in France on Aug. 24, Durov faced a court indictment on 12 serious charges, including failing to prevent drug trafficking and child exploitation on Telegram.

While released on a €5 million bail, the Telegram CEO remains under strict conditions, including reporting to authorities twice a week.

At the same time, Telegram has come under increasing scrutiny for its privacy-first policies, such as end-to-end encryption and secret chats.

Critics argue this has made it a haven for criminals and malicious actors.

Durov acknowledged these challenges in September following his arrest, admitting that Telegram’s rapid growth to 950 million users created “growing pains” that allowed bad actors to exploit the platform.

The platform itself has also faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit from India’s Star Health Insurance over leaked company documents and user data.

Durov Criticizes EU

On Dec. 31, Durov took to X to criticize the European Union’s media restrictions, claiming that Russian users of Telegram enjoy more freedom to access information:

“Access to certain Russian media has been restricted in the EU under DSA/sanctions laws.”

“Meanwhile, all Western media Telegram channels remain freely accessible in Russia,” he added.

“Who would have thought that in 2025 Russian Telegram users would enjoy more freedom than European?”

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes strict regulations on digital platforms to curb disinformation and illegal content.

This could potentially prevent users from accessing certain newspapers or media outlets in the EU, especially those that spread false information.

The act means that several Russian outlets are blocked for EU users. However, Telegram continues to allow Western media channels to function freely in Russia due to its low-level restriction policy.