Nurlan Saburov asks Pavel Durov an unexpected question

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakh showman Nurlan Saburov asked Telegram founder Pavel Durov an unexpected question during the Astana Hub Battle final, held as part of the Digital Bridge 2025 forum in Astana.

During the event, Saburov introduced Durov, who served on the jury for the startup competition. With humor, he asked the guest: "Have you already tried beshbarmak in Astana?"

Durov replied, "No," and also wished the participants good luck, expressing hope that the event would be interesting.

According to media reports, Durov has not eaten meat or fast food for many years. Saburov also joked that many attendees came to the event just to confirm that Durov is a real person and “not artificial intelligence”.

The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development reported that the competition’s prize fund is $100,000, with four winning teams receiving $25,000 each. This year, 50 startups qualified through an online stage, with the top ten advancing to the main stage to present their projects to the jury.

The international forum started on October 2 and will run until October 4.

On the eve of the event, Pavel Durov announced the opening of an artificial intelligence laboratory in Kazakhstan — Alem AI. The first project will involve collaboration between Telegram and Kazakhstan’s supercomputer cluster, launched by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence.