Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses Exile

Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by Evgeny on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @09:26AM (#8687205)

A few weeks later, he and other VKontakte executives folded 5000-ruble notes — worth about $155 at the time — into paper airplanes and threw them out an office window, sparking a fight in the street below.

I'm wondering if that can be qualified as "mean". Doesn't look like a nice thing to do. I also can't see what was the motivation other than "Look, I'm rich".

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by michaelhealy on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @09:47AM (#8687316)

I believe this was after a VK executive received a bonus from the company and someone had made a joke along the lines of "look you've made it".

The employee responded to say that money wasn't his motivation. Instead, it was the idea of creating and building stuff.

To prove his point, he threw the bonus money out of the window in paper planes.

This could imply that money really wasn't/isn't the motivation.

Maybe this was slightly foolish given the media's/public interpretation. I don't think this act had a "mean" intention.

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by dreamweapon on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @10:25AM (#8687525)

I don't think this act had a "mean" intention.

It certainly wasn't "mean". But given the hardships many people in Russia (who don't happen to be petrochemical, banking, and/or internet oligarchs) face, it went well beyond "slightly foolish."

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by Evgeny on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @04:57PM (#8690224)

To prove his point, he threw the bonus money out of the window in paper planes.

Thanks, that seems like a valid explanation.

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by osipov on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @09:44AM (#8687300)

Both Zuck and Durov were approached by secret services by their respective countries. Zuck caved in and gave up Facebook information to NSA. Durov decided to fight and ended up exiled.

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by spacefight on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @11:49AM (#8688023)

[citation needed]

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by ivanca on Wednesday December 03, 2014 @05:05AM (#8692831)

Facebook is a gift to intelligence agencies: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/10/23...

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by discardorama on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @11:58AM (#8688081)

Is this significantly different from that guy who goes around putting gold coins in Salvation Army buckets?

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Re:Once Celebrated in Russia, Programmer Pavel Durov Chooses... by Evgeny on Tuesday December 02, 2014 @04:59PM (#8690240)

I'm not sure what you mean, but what I meant was that if you're throwing money into the crowd, you should expect people to start fighting for it. In Russia, at least, but I'm sure in many other countries too. I don't think donating to Salvation Army starts any physical fights.

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