Joe Rogan Reacts To Telegram Boss Arrest: 'Should We Arrest Google Because Gmail Is Used For Money Laundering And Drug Sales?'

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan discussed a range of topics in this nearly three-hour podcast. One of the most intriguing subjects was the French authorities’ arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. 

Don't Miss:

• Amid the ongoing EV revolution, previously overlooked low-income communities now harbor a huge investment opportunity at just $500.

Durov, who is a French and Emirati citizen (not Russian as Rogan initially suspected), was detained at an airport near Paris. The reason? Allegations that his platform, Telegram, has been used for illegal activities such as money laundering and drug trafficking.

Rogan questioned the fairness of this approach, saying, “Should we arrest Google because Gmail is used for money laundering and drug sales because it certainly is?” His point was that many platforms, including major ones like Google, can be misused by criminals, so why is Telegram being singled out?

Trending: Can you guess which type of investments Morgan Stanley says will reach $2.7 trillion by 2027? It even offers up to 20% APY potential to accredited investors up to $300 back in bonus for new users.

Rogan’s friend, Elon Musk, also posted a series of tweets and responses on this topic as it developed. Among them were tweets like "Yeah, this is super messed up!" and “POV: It's 2030 in Europe and you're being executed for liking a meme.” 

Baker, a former CIA agent and frequent JRE guest, explained that Durov's arrest likely occurred because his social network has a reputation for not cooperating with law enforcement, particularly in France. They are “not cooperating with criminal investigations, not releasing information or complying with requests from … Europol, Interpol,” Baker said. 

See Also: General Motors and other leaders revealed to be investing in this revolutionary lithium start-up — allowing easy entry by launching at just $9.50/share with a $1,000 minimum.

He also found it ironic that Russia, known for its lack of free speech, was upset about Durov's arrest. The Russian government is notoriously tough on dissent and they have arrested people for holding a blank piece of paper since the war on Ukraine began.

Russia’s reaction to the arrest is especially surprising since Durov, who was born in Russia, has had past conflicts with the Russian government over similar issues. “It’s all about free expression over there in Russia,” Rogan joked.

Trending: Founder of Personal Capital and ex-CEO of PayPal re-engineers traditional banking with this new high-yield account — start saving better today.

News also emerged that the financial health of the popular messaging and social media platform Telegram was not in the best shape. The company recorded a loss of $108 million on revenue of $342 million in the previous year.

The Financial Times reports that Durov had been considering publicizing the company with an IPO, aiming for a $30 billion valuation. However, the recently revealed financial issues, combined with the charges Durov is facing from French authorities, have made that ambitious valuation seem less likely.

Read Next:

• Groundbreaking trading app with a ‘Buy-Now-Pay-Later' feature for stocks tackles the $644 billion margin lending market – here’s how to get equity in it with just $500