Telegram founder Pavel Durov has sparked controversy on social media after making a crass comment about foreign intelligence agencies, Asian women and their alleged links to espionage. Taking a dig at the controversy surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the tech billionaire joked that CEOs who are not attracted to Asian women have fewer chances of being approached by foreign spies.
In a post on X, Durov appeared to express disappointment that intelligence agencies from France, Russia and Iran had not sent any female spies his way. His remarks quickly drew criticism, with several social media users slamming him for reducing women from different countries to potential dating prospects for intelligence operatives.
Here’s the tweet:
Unfair that CEOs who aren’t into Asian girls get fewer dating options from spy agencies. Where are the French/Russian/Iranian honeypots? Not one spy girl sent my way. Are they even trying? France is excused — their decision-makers aren’t into girls. Everyone else: try harder!
— Pavel Durov (@durov) November 11, 2026
Durov’s remarks about the alleged espionage operation did not go down well with several users.
While some users treated the post as humour, others questioned its tone and called out the billionaire for his asinine remarks. One user criticised him for referring to Iranian women as potential dating options, arguing that women should not be reduced to stereotypes in jokes about intelligence agencies.
Another user said, “So this is where humour comes to die.” A third user commented, “Love your dark humour, but Iranian girls are busy fighting for freedom and getting shot in the head on the streets by the terrorist regime occupying their country. They don’t have time for spying.”
Durov’s post came amid reports surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his alleged relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed International. The controversy gained attention after Huang, 63, reportedly acknowledged having an extramarital relationship and apologised to his wife, family and colleagues.
The issue took a more serious turn after The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials suspected Alice Huang of being recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security. According to the report, she allegedly developed a relationship with the Nvidia chief to gather information and potentially influence his position on US restrictions on the sale of advanced chips to China.
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