In a recent interview, Pavel Durov spoke about the achievements of the Telegram messenger. According to him, Telegram has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. It earns «hundreds of millions of dollars» in revenue after the introduction of advertising and premium subscription services.
Pavel Durov also said that Telegram is expected to become profitable next year. Under favorable conditions, it could happen this year. He added that the platform has 900 million monthly active users, up from 500 million at the beginning of 2021.
Additionally, Durov said that potential investors, including «late-stage global technology funds», «have offered a valuation of more than $30 billion». But he ruled out selling the platform, instead exploring a future initial public offering (IPO).
«The main reason we started monetizing is because we wanted to remain independent,» he said. «Overall, we see the value of [the IPO] as a means of democratizing access to the value of Telegram».
Informed sources said that Telegram will likely seek a listing in the United States when the company reaches profitability and market conditions are favorable. Durov declined to comment on the timing or possible location of the IPO, but said that Telegram «has explored several options».
He also said that during the IPO, Telegram would consider selling shares to loyal users, following Reddit’s lead.
Additionally, Durov said that Telegram plans to improve its moderation processes this year ─ as numerous elections around the world unfold ─ «deploy artificial intelligence-related mechanisms to address potential problems».
But «if they don’t cross the red lines, I don’t think we should monitor how they express themselves»,” Durov said.
Source: ft