Telegram CEO Durov Commends China's Education System for AI Achievements

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov gave high praise to China's education system, attributing its success to the "Soviet-style" approach that fosters intense competition among students. In a post on X, Durov highlighted that it's no surprise China and its startup, DeepSeek, have made significant advancements in AI, outpacing many competitors, including those in the United States.

Durov pointed out that DeepSeek's impressive advancements in AI, especially in algorithmic efficiency, often caught observers off guard, particularly in open competitions like those involving OpenAI. He argued that this success was not coincidental but stemmed from China's strong emphasis on math and programming from an early age. "Chinese students have consistently outperformed others in math and programming at international olympiads," Durov noted. He further highlighted that China's secondary education system excels over Western systems in producing top performers in math and science, thanks to its focus on competition, a principle drawn from the Soviet education model.

Nevertheless, Durov also censured that western schools for not letting students compete with each other. He expressed that maybe hiding the result could reduce the pressure on students, demotivation could be created for the best. “Victory and defeat are two sides of the same coin. Eliminate the winners”, he said.

Durov emphasized that real-world competition, demonstrated through public AI benchmarks highlighting DeepSeek's superiority, is crucial for driving excellence. He cautioned that without major reforms to the U.S. education system, China’s technological dominance would only continue to expand.