Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on why he sleeps 12 hours a day and avoids using phone

"I try to allocate as much time as possible for sleep," he told computer scientist Lex Fridman on a podcast last weekend, according to the magazine India Today.

He said he does not actually sleep 11-12 hours, as part of that time is spent "lying in bed thinking."

"I love these moments. I get so many brilliant ideas, or at least they seem brilliant to me at the moment, while I'm lying in bed, either late in the evening or early in the morning."

He avoids using his phone after waking up in the morning, he said.

"Beautiful ideas can come to you while you're doing your morning exercise, your morning routine without a phone. If you open your phone first thing in the morning, what you end up being is a creature that is told what to think about for the rest of the day. Same is true in a way if you've been consuming news from social media late at night."

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging app Telegram, during an interview with computer scientist Lex Fridman. Photo courtesy of Lex Fridman

Fridman said he once spent two weeks with Durov and rarely saw him use his phone to browse social media, US news website Business Insider said.

Durov said smartphones are a major distraction and prevent people from coming up with original ideas.

"My philosophy here is pretty simple. I want to define what is important in my life. I don't want others telling me what is important today and what I should be thinking about."

Despite building his career around smartphone apps and social networks, Durov said he values balance and mindful connections.

"It's kind of counterintuitive because I founded one of the largest social networks in the world. But the more connected and accessible you are, the less productive you are."

Telegram, which now has one billion monthly active users, is known for its end-to-end encryption and focus on user privacy.

But those same security features have also been a headache for the app and its founder. In August 2024 French authorities arrested Durov for allegedly allowing illegal activities on the platform.