Telegram Secures $1.5B War Chest—Inks Bombshell AI Pact With Musk

Messaging giant Telegram just pulled off a financial coup, locking down $1.5 billion in fresh funding. But the real shocker? A surprise collaboration with Elon Musk’s AI empire—because nothing says ’trust us with your data’ like teaming up with the guy who fired half of Twitter overnight.

The deal sends Telegram’s valuation into the stratosphere while giving Musk’s AI project a ready-made user base of 800 million. Critics whisper this is just another hype cycle—after all, remember when crypto was supposed to ’bank the unbanked’?

One thing’s certain: Pavel Durov plays chess while other tech CEOs play checkers. Whether this move pays off or crashes harder than a meme stock remains to be seen.

In brief

• Telegram raises $1.5B despite the investigation on Durov, attracting giants like BlackRock.
• Strategic partnership with xAI: Grok integrates into Telegram, with revenue sharing.

A historic fundraising despite an investigation in France

It is confirmed! Telegram has managed to. They include:

• BlackRock;
• Mubadala;
• Citadel;
• other hedge funds.

This bond issuance spans 5 years and comes with a 9% yield. It gives investors the option toif the company goes public.

Specifically, the operation allows repaying the platform’s existing debt. This refers to the 2021 bonds maturing in March 2026.

To date, Telegram has already repurchased $400 million of this previous issuance.

An AI alliance with Elon Musk: Grok joins Telegram

Meanwhile, Telegram is reaching a new strategic milestone by partnering with xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company. The goal: to integrate the AI chatbot Grok directly into the messaging app. Thisconsists of both cash and equity payments.

The agreement also provides that Telegram will receive 50% of the revenues generated by Grok subscriptions sold through the platform. This revenue-sharing model fits into a competitive dynamic with WhatsApp, which recently integrated similar features via Meta’s AI.

Telegram explodes its revenues and aims for $700 million profit in 2025

According to documents examined by the Wall Street Journal, Telegram generated $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024. The company thereby posted a net profit of $540 million, compared to a loss of $173 million in 2023.

For 2025, forecasts predict:

• $2 billion in revenue;
• over $700 million in profit.

This spectacular growth relies on a diversified monetization strategy, including:

• premium subscriptions (now 15 million subscribers, double in one year);
• growing advertising activity;
• a booming bot ecosystem,
• blockchain-related partnerships (notably with TON).

The judicial case in France has not slowed Telegram’s upward trajectory. Today, the platform even establishes itself as a key player in the convergence between social technologies, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.

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