Jensen Huang spent 33 years running Nvidia before Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov spotted what a ‘rookie mistake’ that cost him his job.
The Telegram chief executive turned Huang’s departure into a joke about losing his job at the Russian social network VKontakte.
«In 2014, my board kicked me out for saying no to spies,» Durov wrote on social media. «In 2026, Jensen’s board kicked him out for saying yes to one.»
«So the board gets you either way,» he went on, before offering founders some advice. «Don’t have a board. Be the board.»
🤦♀️ Jensen made a rookie mistake. He had a board. In 2014, my board kicked me out for saying no to spies. In 2026, Jensen’s board kicked him out for saying yes to one. So the board gets you either way. Founders: Don’t have a board. Be the board 😏
— Pavel Durov (@durov) November 13, 2026
Durov created VK (formerly known as VKontakte) in 2006 to help university classmates stay in touch. Over time, it grew into Russia’s biggest social network.
The tech entrepreneur says he refused a request from Russia’s security service in 2013 for the private data of Ukrainian protesters. When he lost his job in April 2014, VK said it had acted on a resignation letter he had failed to withdraw properly. Durov said he found out through the news.
In 2013, Telegram had already gone live. Durov devoted himself entirely to the messaging app after leaving VK and continues to run it to this day.
Read more: Telegram founder Pavel Durov warns free internet is ‘running out of time’
From investigation to resignation
The crisis began with reports that Huang had a relationship with Alice Huang, a business executive whom US intelligence officials reportedly suspected of acting for Beijing. Jensen Huang acknowledged an affair without naming her. China denied she was a spy.
On 8 November, Nvidia opened an independent inquiry into whether a foreign intelligence operation had targeted its CEO.
On 12 November, the company announced Huang’s resignation as chief executive and president, as well as his departure from the board. Finance chief Colette Kress took over as interim CEO while the directors began looking for a permanent successor.
