The Telegram founder has trolled intelligence agencies for ignoring his dating preferences following an FBI probe into Nvidia boss Jensen Huang\u2019s alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy<\/p>\n
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has mocked intelligence agencies for failing to cater to his dating preferences, joking that tech CEOs who aren\u2019t attracted to Asian women are being deprived of \u201choneypot\u201d opportunities.
\nIn a tongue-in-cheek post on X on Wednesday, the Russian-born billionaire questioned why intelligence services had apparently failed to send female operatives his way who suited his preference for non-Asian women, asking whether they were \u201ceven trying.\u201d
\nHe made a pointed exception for France, quipping that its \u201cdecision-makers aren\u2019t into girls\u201d \u2013 an apparent jab at President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, who have sued US podcaster Candace Owens over her claims that France\u2019s first lady was born male. Durov concluded that Paris could be excused, but that everyone else should \u201ctry harder\u201d to seduce him.<\/p>\n
Unfair that CEOs who aren\u2019t into Asian girls get fewer dating options from spy agencies. <\/p>\n
Where are the French\/Russian\/Iranian honeypots? Not one spy girl sent my way. Are they even trying?<\/p>\n
France is excused \u2014 their decision-makers aren\u2019t into girls. Everyone else: try harder!\u2014 Pavel Durov (@durov) November 11, 2026<\/p>\n
Not all CEOs are so unlucky
\nDurov\u2019s remarks follow an espionage scandal involving American AI chipmaking giant Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy. The controversy erupted in late October after reports linked the CEO to Alice Huang, or Huang Le, a Chinese executive formerly associated with Megaspeed International, a major Nvidia chip buyer in Southeast Asia.
\nUS intelligence officials suspect the woman was recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security to gather information on Nvidia and potentially influence its CEO to push Washington to ease AI chip export restrictions.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Trump backs \u2018honeypot-hit\u2019 Nvidia boss<\/p>\n
After initially describing their interactions as routine business dealings, Huang admitted last week to an extramarital affair without confirming the name of the woman. Nvidia launched an internal investigation into the alleged honeypot operation.
\nPresident Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the FBI has also opened a probe, but defended Huang, a close ally in Washington\u2019s AI rivalry with Beijing, calling him \u201can amazing guy\u201d who had been unaware of the alleged espionage.
\nBeijing has dismissed the allegations as \u201ca groundless accusation, slander, and a smear.\u201d Meanwhile, separate reports have since alleged another affair between Huang and Nvidia healthcare vice president Kimberly Powell, and claimed the company\u2019s board is considering ousting the CEO.
\nFrench spies have courted Durov before \u2013 just not romantically
\nWhile Durov\u2019s apparent disappointment over his lack of suitable \u201choneypots\u201d was clearly in jest, his relations with French intelligence have been anything but romantic.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
France summons Durov for questioning again \u2013 media<\/p>\n
French spies have reportedly targeted the Telegram founder, who holds French citizenship but is based in the UAE, for years. According to the Wall Street Journal, French intelligence teamed up with the UAE back in 2017 to hack his iPhone over concerns about Islamic State militants using Telegram.
\nIn February 2024, French prosecutors opened an investigation into Telegram\u2019s alleged failure to cooperate with law enforcement. The case escalated that August with Durov\u2019s arrest and placement under formal investigation over suspected crimes facilitated through the platform.
\nDurov denied wrongdoing, calling it \u201cabsurd\u201d to hold a platform owner responsible for users\u2019 crimes and accusing Paris of using the case to pressure Telegram into political censorship. He claimed French foreign intelligence pushed him to silence conservative voices ahead of Romania\u2019s 2025 presidential election and censor Moldovan Telegram channels ahead of the country\u2019s 2024 vote, allegedly even offering to influence the judge overseeing his case in exchange for cooperation.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Is Pavel Durov a free-speech champion or an unaccountable tech baron?<\/p>\n
France\u2019s foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, later acknowledged meeting Durov but denied his allegations. The Telegram founder remains under formal investigation. Following more than six hours of questioning in Paris in July, his lawyers said nearly two years of investigations had yielded no evidence against him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Telegram founder has trolled intelligence agencies for ignoring his dating preferences following an FBI probe into Nvidia boss Jensen Huang\u2019s alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy Telegram founder…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t