Overview
- Durov told Lex Fridman he prefers candidates prove themselves in coding contests rather than through standard interviews.
- Telegram runs competitions roughly every month or two on its own platform, with winners considered for its lean team of about 30 engineers.
- A June–July 2025 contest offered an Android developer role with a $1 million annual salary, tasking entrants with implementing an animation in the open-source Android app.
- Durov said he favors engineers who already use Telegram, and contests help attract product-savvy candidates.
- Telegram’s careers page lists multiple openings and indicates that entering relevant contests is the fastest route into certain engineering roles.