On October 29, Telegram founder Pavel Durov took the stage at the Blockchain Life crypto forum in Dubai. He announced the launch of a decentralized computing network called Cocoon, joked about scammers in the messenger, and explained why he considers Dubai the best place to live — especially after spending a year in France under investigation.
Public appearances by Durov are rare. He usually communicates through his Telegram channel or gives occasional interviews. The forum gathered over 15,000 participants from 130 countries, giving the billionaire a global platform to share his views on his current situation and upcoming projects.
Why Durov believes Dubai beats Europe
Durov began his speech with a candid reflection on his personal experience. After his arrest in France last August and the subsequent months under investigation, he had the opportunity to compare life in Europe and the UAE — and the conclusion, he said, was clear.
“It’s been over a year since my last talk in Dubai. A lot has happened since then. I spent some time in Paris. The more time I spend in Europe, the more I love Dubai,” Durov said on stage.
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He asked the audience to raise their hands if they had relocated from Europe to Dubai — and wasn’t surprised by how many did. He jokingly called them “millionaire refugees” and teased the growing traffic caused by the influx of Rolls-Royces. “Slow down, or Dubai will soon run out of land for your luxury villas,” he quipped.
The joke about land has some truth behind it. UAE real estate regulation news today constantly features reports on new projects, and construction in the emirate is progressing at record speed. Dubai continues to attract wealthy individuals not only with its climate and infrastructure but also with its tax system — one of the most favorable in the world. Moreover, the UAE law of inheritance allows foreigners to transfer assets according to their own country’s rules, making the emirate appealing for long-term financial and estate planning.
What Cocoon is and why Durov is building it
The main announcement at the forum was Cocoon — a decentralized computing network designed for artificial intelligence operations. The name stands for “Confidential Compute Open Network.”
How it works:
- Developers rent computing power from GPU owners.
- Hardware owners earn revenue by providing their resources.
- All transactions are settled in TON cryptocurrency.
- Data is fully encrypted, ensuring that no one can access or view the content being processed.
Durov explained that Cocoon differs from centralized cloud systems like ChatGPT, where data is processed and stored on servers owned by a single company. In systems such as ChatGPT, user data may be stored on OpenAI’s servers and shared with authorities upon request. Cocoon, by contrast, distributes processing tasks across independent GPUs in a decentralized network, with encryption protecting all content from outside access.
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“The world is moving in a strange direction. Building decentralized technologies is the only way to preserve digital freedom,” Durov stated, adding that he had originally considered naming the network Private AI Network, abbreviated as P.A.I.N. — “pain.” Telegram itself will become Cocoon’s first major client, using it for confidential AI queries and integrating it into its ecosystem. The network’s official launch is planned for November this year.
Jokes about scammers and the legal reality
During his talk, Durov also addressed the issue of fraud in Telegram Mini Apps. “Raise your hand if you’ve ever been scammed through Telegram Mini Apps. Quite a few hands — unexpected! Personally, I don’t know anyone who got scammed. But all my friends got richer!” he said, prompting a mixed reaction from the audience. The joke came amid his ongoing criminal case in France, where he faces allegations of complicity in smuggling, money laundering, and concealing illegal content. Durov was detained last August at an airport, later released on €5 million bail, and formally prohibited from leaving France — though he is occasionally permitted to travel to Dubai, where his partner Yulia Vavilova resides.
