1968 was a year that shook the world to its core. From the streets of Paris to the campuses of the United States, a new generation rose to challenge the systems that had long defined their lives. The youth, disillusioned with the status quo, sparked a fire that threatened to consume the old order, giving birth to what seemed like a new world. But, as history often reveals, the fervor of revolution rarely meets the expectations of those who dream it. Tomislav Sunic’s essay, "1968: The Incisive Year," explores the disillusionment that followed the iconic protests and offers a piercing reflection on how the events of 1968 reshaped not only the world but the very ideals that fueled it. A year of passionate rebellion became a moment of profound realization—an awakening to the complex realities of revolution, identity, and ideological transformation.
1968 was a year that shook the world to its core. From the streets of Paris to the campuses of the United States, a new generation rose to challenge the systems that had long defined their lives. The youth, disillusioned with the status quo, sparked a fire that threatened to consume the old order, giving birth to what seemed like a new world. But, as history often reveals, the fervor of revolution rarely meets the expectations of those who dream it. Tomislav Sunic’s essay, "1968: The Incisive Year," explores the disillusionment that followed the iconic protests and offers a piercing reflection on how the events of 1968 reshaped not only the world but the very ideals that fueled it. A year of passionate rebellion became a moment of profound realization—an awakening to the complex realities of revolution, identity, and ideological transformation.
Oh no. There’s a certain degree of myth-making around what exactly went on, so take everything that follows lightly. Telegram was originally launched as a side project by the Durov brothers, with Nikolai handling the coding and Pavel as CEO, while both were at VK. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a driving force in markets for the past few weeks. Pavel Durov, a billionaire who embraces an all-black wardrobe and is often compared to the character Neo from "the Matrix," funds Telegram through his personal wealth and debt financing. And despite being one of the world's most popular tech companies, Telegram reportedly has only about 30 employees who defer to Durov for most major decisions about the platform. On Telegram’s website, it says that Pavel Durov “supports Telegram financially and ideologically while Nikolai (Duvov)’s input is technological.” Currently, the Telegram team is based in Dubai, having moved around from Berlin, London and Singapore after departing Russia. Meanwhile, the company which owns Telegram is registered in the British Virgin Islands. In the United States, Telegram's lower public profile has helped it mostly avoid high level scrutiny from Congress, but it has not gone unnoticed.
from in
