Telegram's Fortune Begins: Pavel Durov's game has just begun

Recipe

Telegram is the fastest growing in the world. At least in some ways. According to the 2021 announcement, no app is growing its monthly users faster than the Telegram messaging app. Telegram currently has around 600 million users.

callCreate your own description of your personal security integrity. Telegram encrypts your message, but most messages are completely private. But that doesn't seem to have affected the company's description. It works well on local events.

Going to cryptocurrency is also risky. In 2018, the ICO raised $1.7 billion in Telegram. Unfortunately for the foundersPavel DourovFor example, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ruled that ICOs include anonymous trading. The failure affected Telegram's growth and affected the industry.

Competition can be a great way to appreciate the arts.. Several companies have talented engineers like Telegram. Part of its success depends on the use (developer) of the competition. Companies often offer incentives to improve their products and hire the most qualified people.

Telegram has yet to see a business model. Telegram has been supporting payments since 2017 and has experimented with recent announcements. So far it hasn't been very effective. To earn money, the Durov team can take inspiration from WeChat and other platforms.

Last October, Telegram added 70 million new users in 24 hours. The omnipresence of social media has made us weak to its masses. However, it has more than the population of South Africa, France and Thailand, and less than the population of Canada.

This comparison is enough to explain that Telegram is a global messaging application.

Why does this happen? Facebook suffered from the crash, and Instagram, Messenger and Oculus were unavailable for 6 hours. Users flock to this charismatic Russian market for the excitement, networking, and a more human social media format.Pavel DourovStart a business.

This sentence is not only a sign of the development of Telegram's good fortune, but also contains information about the company and its operation. The messaging app isn't Facebook, which interferes with users' privacy, Instagram is full of ads, or WhatsApp, which has been criticized for connecting to Facebook.

Telegram looked like a denial of Zuckerberg's system, acknowledging the explanation but ignoring the other positives. Yes, Telegram has a reputation for being a private broadcaster, but it's also a much better messenger. Active Telegram users (about 600 million) can still chat after WhatsApp (2 billion), but this gives users more functionality and sophistication.

Of course, there are problems in the affairs of Pavel Durov. A failed initial coin offering (ICO) brought in $1.7 billion in funding for the company's blockchain ambitions, but ultimately failed. Telegram could argue that the SEC was blamed for the failure. However, despite all this, Telegram itself has many problems, including the lack of a well-established business model. For Telegram, even after 10 years, it still seems not to have achieved significant results.

The result is a complex and sometimes goofy business that, despite its poor product performance, still seems to make a profit by comparison. In chess, the "Russian game" is an open process of imitating opponents and trying to counterattack. In many ways, Pavel Durov seems to be doing the same.

In order to reach its true potential, Telegram may need to change the way it works. As the company enters the new decade, the company will try to build a reputation. Returning from the board and the intelligence team, Telegram was also able to intercept WhatsApp. Today's article discusses the past and future of Telegram, and this article includes:

Comment installer VKontakte. Pavel Durov created the Russian version of Facebook before creating a super WhatsApp. Zuckerberg's story is full of intrigue, but Pavel Durov is better.

To start upcall. After being fired from his former company, Durov began developing Telegram. In order to develop the app, he had to fight FBI interference and fight the harsh SEC.

financial anomalies. Durov acquired the Telegram in a different way to avoid capital gains from capital investments. Not only did it pay for most of the self-improvement costs, but it was also found to provide ICOs and contracts.

very good stuff. Telegram may have started after WhatsApp, but it is now the contentious leader in the product space. Telegram supports bigger chat groups, more formats and more.

money problems. Telegram's reputation is built on its commitment to privacy. This makes the industrial model based on advertising unsuitable for the product. Telegram experimented with advertising and payments without success.

To look forward. But there are reasons for hope. Other messaging services, particularly WeChat in China and LINE in Japan, have made creative money.

Let's start.

01The history of VKontakte

Although not the name most often mentioned, the Roman poetJuvenalSome of our favorite modern words have been created. Besides the "food and the circus" used to describe how to please the public, the questions "black swan" and "who takes care of the guardian?" can make it useful.

Generally, the story of the CEO of Telegram is a reflection of ill-gotten gains, grand politics and government oppression. Circus, black swans and nocturnal spectators.

"Raise the Fire"

Ironically, this man, who has spent his life seeking intimacy, was born in 1984.Pavel DourovThey have two sons, Albina Durova and her husband Valery Semenovich Durov. Her father, Valerie, was a Roman historian and wrote a memoir of the Roman poet Juvenal.

Pavel Durov was born in Saint Petersburg. Saint-Petersburg (second city of Russia) but he spent his childhood in Turin (Italian city). The family returned to Russia only after his father Valery assumed the role of director of the education department of St. Petersburg University. Saint Petersburg (SPbU).

Pavel Durov is undoubtedly smart, but he's not the best of his siblings. his brotherNikolai DurovBorn four years earlier, he has seen strange mathematical skills since his earliest childhood. (I will refer to Nikolai Durov as "Nikolai" in this sentence to distinguish him from Pavel Durov.)

As a young man, Nikolai took part in the International Mathematical Olympiad and won numerous prizes. He is also a computer scientist, which makes him proud of his younger brother.Pavel Dourov, Pavel Durov showed an ability to do things. At the age of 11, Pavel Durov fell in love with Tetris. Later, the Durov and Nikolai brothers completed the great game called "Lao Unit" set up in ancient China.

Pavel Durov was not a silent student. The boy who sat in front of the class to see the black paper better had good grades but often told the teachers he couldn't. He seems to enjoy showing off his skills, especially when it comes to computers. At one point, he replaced his school's computer screen saver with a photo of his teacher with the caption "You must die". The teacher repeatedly tried to turn off Pavel Durov, but always seemed to find a way. Strange behaviors are not unique to teachers. A classmate said that when talking to Pavel Durov, he did not know if he was seriously ill or if he was joking.

Although he had a career, Pavel Durov followed in his father's footsteps and went to college. He was not the only one to enter St. Petersburg University (SPbU) but also studied English. In order to comply with the laws of Russia, he studied the media and studied the ideas of his grandson and Napoleon. Over time, Pavel Durov realized how important his country was for managing archives.

During his studies, Pavel Durov also worked in his company, including Durov.com. What started as a blog has grown into a platform where students can post letters and exchange ideas. Pavel Durov used the pseudonym to discuss his various activities on the site and deliberately spread the word, often praising Hitler. He then explained:

"Sometimes you have to be a fan. When users agree, they think they're successful, but users still walk out. And when users argue with them and get embarrassed, they come back to prove they're doing it. are."

Thanks to Pavel Durov's deep understanding of online relationships, the site has attracted over 2.7 million visitors. This not only enables his innovative ideas, but also reflects the need for people to demonstrate online. This point of view turned out to be insignificant because the budding entrepreneur was thinking of something else.

hunt facebook

2006,Mirilashvili fameI was surprised to see the face of his old friend Pavel Durov, who entered a Russian news site and appeared on the news site to create a popular meeting with a student. (In fact, below we call Slava Mirilashvili "Slava" to distinguish him from his father, who is also mentioned in this article.)

At Tufts University (a university in Massachusetts, USA), Slava testifies.On Facebook nce. Of course, the conference company was founded in Boston two years ago. And at the Pavel Durov conference, Slava, he saw the potential for similar trade in the Russian economy. So Slava finds Durov's place, and the two boys start dating again. Their conversation turned into a quick chat space, and they had another friend, a McGill graduate.Lév Lévsoon joined them.

That summer, a few months after graduating from SPbU, Durov registered on the registration site, vkontakte.ru. Durov quickly came up with the name VKontakte. VKontakte means "contact" in Russian. Originally, he wanted to change the name of the platform according to the city, like "Call to Moscow", but then, in response to Facebook, he changed the name of Facebook to "The", "Durov responded to the shorter name "I will be. create a name, finally I removed the name of the city from the name of VKontakte, today Vkontakte has become the largest platform in Russia.

At that time, we needed money to start a project. Fortunately, they were ready to raise funds: Slava's fatherMikhaïl Milirachvili. Georgians have created a dizzying country, operating from real estate to oil, media and gambling. The Mirilashvili network of slot machines is the largest in Europe.

At the request of his son Slava, Mirilashvilibkontakte uacompany (hereinafter referred to asU) 60% of the shares. Although Durov only owns 20% of the proceeds (the remaining 20% ​​is the equivalent of Slava and Lev Levie), he holds most of the voting rights, indicating the start of his vision. (Other sources, however, indicate that our recent graduates will have 20%, while Mikhail Mirilashvili will have 40% of the capital.)

Together with the bank, VK launched the game.Like Facebook, VK started to focus on students., promotion from school to school by invitation.DourovEncourage users to register through the contest: Encourage users to register as many friends as possible. The highest bidder receives a new iPod.This strategy alone helped VK gain thousands of early adopters..

VK users quickly jump 6 digits. In just six months of VK's beta, it has over 100,000 users, making it the second largest conference in Russia. More than a year later, VK overtook Odnoklassniki to become Russia's largest social network with over a million users.

Presentation VK

The company's success seems to be due to its product portfolio and performance.

From the start, Durov saw vision and pragmatism for VK products. Previous letters were borrowed heavily from Facebook, following the color scheme and characteristics of an American company. VK soon introduced other personalities. For example, at the time, Durov preferred to use the profile page as the user's main page (see image below). Maybe it's better for the Russian market right now.

VK also supports downloading video and audio files including multiple files. This led to an investigation, in which a Russian television company was accused of trespassing. It also makes the product rich and functional like Netflix or Spotify. Users watch videos on the site for a few hours a week.

Above: Profile of Pavel Durov for VK

While researching this phrase, I had the opportunity to speak with an early VK staff member. He noted that despite VK's development, Durov still had high hopes for the product's features. "Durov has high expectations for performance...good numbers, end products. However, you have to follow those standards." As VK matures, this CEO usually makes small decisions as well. Pavel Durov) decided.

VK is also technically good. As the business grew, it became increasingly difficult to sustain an increase in traffic, especially when a website was targeted by hackers. Fortunately, Durov has his ace, his brother Nikolai. After earning a PhD in Mathematics from SPbU in 2005, Nikolai earned a PhD in Computer Science (Mathematics) from the University of Bonn, Germany, creating backends that can handle millions of users and prevent people to oppose it.

money mania

Soon, however, the technological know-how of Pavel Durov can no longer meet the growing demand. VK started monetizing relatively early, encouraging users to buy in-app currency, premium texting and gaming. The company has also been experimenting with advertising on the site since 2008, but Pavel Durov prefers to keep advertising low so as not to distract consumers. "The consumer always comes first."

Although providing capital, the need for more servers requires more money. So came Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global, VK's new venture capitalist.

Getting an early investment from Yuri Milner was not a difficult decision for the Pavel Durov team. In general, VCs provide the majority of the best content while allowing VK to continue working on their own content. However, over time, DST Global's Russian assets were packaged with Mail.ru Group (MRG). At the beginning of 2011, MRG holds a 32.5% stake, with an option holding an additional 7.5%. Obviously, they need more stakes. Dmitry Grishin, one of Yuri Milner's presidents, said at the time: "It's a good idea for us to run this social network. Besides, it's better to buy all the shares. We're talking about it."

But the conversations don't seem to last long. Pavel Durov said he went to the MRG office to discuss the possibility, but responded to a press release. He posted a picture of his middle finger with the caption, it "worked" in response to Dmitry Grishin, and called MRG "the trash."

Despite strong claims, they did not prevent MRG from using its options to increase its stake to 40% and the value of VK to $1.5 billion. At that time, the social network had 125 million users and operated throughout Russia and other former Soviet countries.

game of thrones

VK power is real power.

But by the end of 2011, that power had become a heavy burden.

In December 2011, protests against unfair elections swept across Russia. In response, the National Security Agency, the FSB, relied on VK to arrest seven protesters and release the data used. In response, Pavel Durov tweeted a photo of a husky in a hoodie sticking out his tongue. His way is to let the world and VK users know that he won't be disappointed.

Source: Durope Twitter

The SWAT team went to Pavel Durov's home shortly after he refused to let them in. After the siege, he decides to call his brother and tell him what happened. As Pavel Durov mentioned later, that's when I started Telegram.

"I know there is no secure way to communicate with him, so Telegram started."

It should be noted that Pavel Durov's reputation has improved since the SWAT team stepped down, at least for now.

However, this tension continued into the new year, and Nikolai Durov decided to leave VK. Frustrated by businessmen and the police and without the support of his brother, young Pavel Durov became increasingly unstable.

For example, Pavel Durov threw money out the window of the VK office, and he gave extra money only to the vice-president of the company, who said that the work was important for him. , Pavel Durov decided to oppose his deputy and threw the ruble to St. Petersburg's bustling Nevsky prospect. The vice president agreed, but Pavel Durov decided that was not enough and decided to hold on. A hard copy was made from 5,000 ruble banknotes and thrown into the crowd. Pavel Durov later called it "the story of our company". "One of the funniest times."

Meanwhile, MRG continues to challenge governance.

In late 2012, Yuri Milner and MRG mogul Alisher Usmanov said "talks" were underway.

The sentiment continued until 2013, when VK was accused of stealing from the US Data Transaction Agency (RIAA), preventing the company from testing the Western exchange.

Two months later, April came to Pavel Durov.

On April 4, 2013, Russian journalist Novaya Gazeta reported that instead of opposing the success of the FSB, Durov and VK actively supported the opposition. Pavel Durov generally seems to be a creative person and seems inspired by libertarianism, but he is also an expert. Eventually, it may be decided to defend the independence of VK.

Around the same time, police searched Pavel Durov for a free-driving Mercedes-Benz and walked on foot to a police car in a collision and fled. Fearing reprisals, Pavel Durov fled, with some saying he was in Italy, Switzerland or St Petersburg. I believe they fled to Kitts and Nevis. On April 16, 2013, investigators stormed VK's office and pulled out a filing cabinet.

No matter where he lives, Pavel Durov calls almost daily to find out if United Capital Partners (UCP) has bought a 48% stake in VK. The news would turn out to be true, but he knew nothing about it at the time, and Mirishvalis and Leviev sold their shares to a company believed to have government ties for $1.12 billion. In fact, many believe that the UCP would not be able to fund this small size without the support of sponsors.

Pavel Durov and his brother, who believe that their time in VK will soon be over, have already started the "major" construction of the new venue. This free and secure telecommunications service is Telegram, the symbol of the airline and of large users. As of October 2013, Telegram had over 100,000 daily active users, surpassing WhatsApp in some features. Despite this appeal, Pavel Durov does not plan to use the project for profit, but plans to use it as a non-profit project by his new holding company, Digital Fortress.

The story of April Fools

In January 2014, Pavel Durov sold VK spare parts to MegaFon CEO Ivan Tavrin. At that time, Pavel Durov was with Alisher Usmanov, since he was the sole owner of the cell phone. Maybe Pavel Durov needs to know what to do.

A few months later, Ivan Tavrin sold the product he had purchased from MRG, giving VK control of the business. Finally, the Russian Internet giant controls Russia's largest social network.

Although Pavel Durov is still the CEO, he started to complain to the UCP and the MRG. On April 1, 2014, he announced his resignation from his VK account. Many people think these are (slightly different) April Fool's jokes.

I hope you are joking? Eight years later, it's still not clear. However, on April 3, 2014, Pavel Durov returned to the media and went public with the dog meme claiming it was a hoax. He said on April 21 that he was fired again, this time because he accidentally quit his previous job.

However, at the end of April 2014, Pavel Durov announced the latest update. He will work full time on Telegram to find a new home for the group. He wrote in a Facebook post:

Which country or city do you think is best for us? Please leave a comment below. To give you an idea of ​​our interests, we do not like the war of bureaucracy, of governance. We love freedom, strong justice, free trade, neutrality and citizenship.

telegram story

Telegram's story is modeled after VK.

The messaging app hits the stratosphere in no time, but it also stirs controversy along the way. Since we started working on the project in 2012, Telegram has nearly 600 million monthly users and has been the largest app since 2021. In the aftermath, Pavel Durov is to be freed from the "hunting" FBI and SEC "difficult".

started in a storm

Pavel Durov was not harmed with the money when he left Russia, leaving behind around $300 million and 2,000 bitcoins, according to later reports. In modern terms, that's about $87 million. This money is enough for him to help develop the Telegram and invest in the Caribbean island of Saint Petersburg. Kitts and Nevis in public exchange. Together with their brother Nikolai Durov, who founded the CTO, they began to build the Telegram.

Of course, not everyone is convinced of the project's promise. Because WhatsApp clones are rarely new. However, at an early stage, the Telegram team was able to differentiate themselves by offering a variety of new features such as better connectivity, faster connectivity, and improved connectivity. This promise attracted consumers and the company reached 35 million within a few months of advertising. The Telegram controversy escalated after Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $21.8 billion in early 2014.

However, the UCP was still a problem for Pavel Durov back then. VK members sued Telegram members, alleging that Pavel Durov used company time and money to build Telegram. The controversy continued until 2014, when MRG acquired UCP's stake in VK, the lawsuit against Pavel Durov was dropped and Telegram's approach was eventually granted.

Still having problems?

In 2016, Telegram had 100 million monthly subscribers (MAUs) with a "zero marketing budget". Still, Telegram is often the main source of conflict, but the problem is that the app's privacy-centric features apply not only to security users, but also to bad guys who want to stay away from the public. . Telegram uses the app to monitor jihadist groups and intermediate illegal content.

Telegram also began clashing with US government agencies. At the same time, Russian police allegedly interfered with cellphone users to intercept Telegram messages. At the same time, Pavel Durov claimed that the FBI was trying to bribe him and his developers to report the return. As he said, US authorities gave Telegram engineers "thousands of dollars", giving Pavel Durov the claim that most Telegram makers were rich, that "little money" was not a favourite.

Despite these issues, Telegram continues to grow.

Another reason for this growth is Facebook, where millions of people turn to Telegram whenever the Facebook social network is not working or problems arise due to misuse of data. As we pointed out, Telegram often functions as a "Facebook battle", and the worse Facebook gets, the better Telegram will grow. Of course, the same goes for Telegram's relationship with other social devices, with KakaoTalk KakaoTalk app users also switching to Telegram in 2014 and 2019.

Telegram activity continues to grow as public opinion and media coverage turn to inconsistencies in advertising products. In this case, the only problem arises: finances.

TON teeb meem

In 2018, Telegram has nearly 200 million users, but it hasn't seen strong money gains yet. Pavel Durov still seems to regard his productions as good citizens, but the income can be enough on its own. Moreover, Pavel Durov's VK storm will not last forever.

Pavel Durov has spoken out against hate speech on VK (which at one point increased Facebook revenue by an average of 7x per user), but he insists that VK is a good way to earn money money in relationships. But this script does not seem to match the telegram. With an emphasis on privacy and security, Telegram is unable to provide information to advertisers without breach of contract.

Fortunately, as of 2018, early Bitcoin traders are slowly turning to a broader discussion.

In January 2018, Telegram announced the announcement of "Telegram Open Network" (TON), a new blockchain that supports the in-app ecosystem requested by Pavel Durov. This blockchain is guaranteed to be "better" than current technologies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. There is a chain.

TON service supports payments and purchases, including third-party developers. Telegram raised $1.2 billion in Initial Coin Opera (ICO) to fund its development. Participants include well-known Silicon Valley companies such as Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins and Lightspeed. If Telegram hadn't sold its shares, at least the moment would have been that the money had given time for rapid growth.

Source: TON White Paper

At first glance, token money was a great idea that gave Telegram a weapon of war. Anton Rozenberg, director of Telegram and former VK engineer, later said:

"Everything in finance is like magic. Telegram can raise as much money as the business costs in a virtual project. There are no small commitments for investors and no investment." "

As a source, Telegram's entry into cryptocurrency led Facebook to follow. Like Libra (now called Diem), Telegram's crypto business is out of luck. Despite the large number of Telegram users, the development of TON has been hampered. According to another former employee, Telegram told the client that by September of that year most of the initial TON project was "90-95% complete". This indicates that the release is still a few days away. In December of that year, he said labor was just days away. However, even after the start of the new year, TON does not see the light of day.

In September 2019, Telegram released the code for the test site, and in October, the SEC opened.

Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's enforcement department, said the SEC halted development of the TON token because it decided the funds generated from the sale were illegal.

"The urgent action we are taking today is to stop Telegram from illegally selling tokens in the US market."

TON postponed, and after further questioning, Pavel Durov resigned.

In May 2020, Pavel Durov announced he was resigning, blaming the SEC for TON's death. The company has spent $405 million on improvements, but has yet to release any successful products. Unfortunately, some companies are beginning to consider claims that funds were misappropriated to develop a Telegram messaging app rather than a TON network.

In the end, Telegram returned 72% of its revenue ($1.2 billion in total) to TON customers, and many were frustrated at not getting a share in Telegram. Foreign American investors have the option of converting the money back into loans which return 110% of the initial investment after one year, allowing Pavel Durov to raise capital more quickly. Telegram also fined the SEC $18.5 million, but denied the "denied or denied" allegations.

After the separation of the project, Pavel Durov moved the management of TON to "communities" and thanks to the open rules, which could continue to develop the architecture of the project, several connections were possible. is happening soon, including "Free TON" and "Toncoin". "." "Toncoin" seems to have established itself as a spiritual agent of the original with the endorsement of Pavel Durov in late 2021, and the project is now legal, even said to be run by two independent developers including .thin nine other connected developers at the Toncoin Github. , Free Ton has now changed its name to Everscale and used a different programming language from the original TON code.

A Telegram employee has now expressed his views on the TON, noting that the SEC is involved in improving its commodities and is creating friction. Despite Pavel Durov's trials, TON ultimately failed to resolve its financial and investment issues.

despair

Telegram is worth over $700 million by April 31, 2021. Telegram is the financial crisis once again. Pavel Durov says he will spend "hundreds of millions of dollars a year" to make Telegram work.

With over 500 million active users, Telegram has no shortage of subscribers. Some Western companies were asked to buy out 5% to 10% of the company for a valuation of $30 billion, and some venture capitalists raised the value to nearly $40 billion.

However, Pavel Durov, who established VK in the past, understands the dangers of attracting outside investors. He will not allow this to happen again after his last dismissal as CEO.

Instead of selling his stake, Pavel Durov got into debt. In March 2021, Telegram announced $1 billion in contracts with interest rates of 7-8% per year. Additionally, an IPO within three years of the Telegram license allows customers to trade sharing deals at a 10% discount on listings. If Telegram takes longer to reach the public market, the discount rate will increase by 15-20%.

Among the potential buyers is Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment. As part of the acquisition, Pavel Durov promised to expand Telegram's presence in the region and work in the UAE.

Surprisingly, this agreement comes from Mubadala Investment including the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). In a second exchange, the Abu Dhabi company announced the sale of a $2 million contract to RDIF. Mubadala Investment claims that the exchange is part of a more lucrative financial partnership. Telegram complained to the spokesperson:

Russian financial instruments are not on the list of traders selling contracts and we cannot trade with these funds.

However, RDIF is now entitled to a lesser impact on the potential value of Telegram's IPO. While this may upset Pavel Durov, the venture capitalist also says the Telegram CEO somehow won.

new heights

Shortly before Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding of Facebook, the company was experiencing the huge impact we were talking about. Within a day, Facebook users flocked to other social networks, messaging app Signal reported "millions" of users and Telegram announced 70 million new users. This paved the way for "data" for the Pavel Durov company and provided strong support for 5 billion users at the start of the year.

This is the highest example of Telegram completion, but 2021 is generally a year of positive growth. Telegram was the fastest growing app last year, hitting Instagram, Zoom, TikTok, Signal and more. Telegram hopes to reach 1 billion subscribers by 2022, but the product will need to be developed further to achieve this goal.

solid material

On the one hand, Telegram can be seen as another alternative transmitter. But in fact, this application is much more fun. Telegram is a powerful business product that constantly pushes the boundaries of what telecom companies can and should do. Telegram may have started as a WhatsApp clone, but now it's not an easy and smooth connection for users to communicate, but for sharing more connections with Twitter, Clubhouse, Reddit, Discord, and Slack.

MTProto protocol

Telegram relies on a custom framework called "MTProto" developed by Nikolai Durov to provide security when managing operations. Specifically, the MTProto protocol uses two encryption strategies with different privacy levels.

Many readers can identify most of the images below, but others will know that "Part 1" is "Server-Client Encryption". This means that user data is stored on Telegram servers. All "chat clouds" use this encryption technique. By the way, Telegram company design to add an extra layer of security to this. Cloud Chat data is shared on servers around the world and managed by several legitimate organizations. As Telegram explained, it needed "multiple court orders in multiple jurisdictions" to protect the company's information.

"Secret Chat" uses secure end-to-end encryption (E2EE), as discussed in "Part 2" of MTProto. In E2EE, no one but the sender and receiver can process data, and Telegram cannot process messages sent through this layer.

Source: Telegram

In this regard, the Telegram method has been criticized. In a recent Twitter post, Moxie Marlinspike, co-founder and former CEO of competitive messaging service Signal, described her issues with the product.

According to Moxie Marlinspike, Telegram is no more secure than Facebook Messenger.

'Telegram keeps track of all contacts, groups, news, and all messages sent or received by the users' server in a free file.' from the server, and the data is available. Location. Almost everything you see in a single app.

FB Messenger also has an e2ee "secret chat" mode, which is less restrictive than Telegram (and uses the best e2ee process), but no one would consider FB Messenger to be "wire encrypted commands".

FB Messenger and Telegram did almost the same thing.

The Moxie Marlinspike House lighting project is making it difficult for her to be a candidate, as well as her products and her relationships with the CIA and other US security agencies in the country. However, this underlines the importance of Pavel Durov's strategy. Like its founder, Telegram is superb and pragmatic. Yes, we want to provide security for those needs, but not for the price of most users. In fact, E2EE can lead to greater self-awareness, but it can also make Telegram less useful for many people. For example, messages are no longer synchronized between devices.

A member of the Telegram team that I mentioned explained that, more importantly, the company wants to provide the best experience for its customers. Here's what former VK employees talked about briefly when comparing Telegram to Broadcast:

"Signal has fewer users."

greed

At the heart of the Telegram product view is conversation. It can be used on multiple devices and users can message each other through a simple and intuitive interface. Interestingly, it looks smoother, faster and more lively than WhatsApp. Buttons work as needed and small features provide unexpected fun.

In particular, Telegram's working relationship is strong. Supports multiple files (doc, zip, mp3) with large size restrictions. Replies, quotes, and hashtags were mixed together, and the in-app photo decoration was amazing.

As mentioned above, native chats are stored in the cloud so that they can be revisited when the user moves from their phone to their laptop. To keep it private, you can start a "secret chat" using E2EE and configure it to delete messages after a certain period of time.

group chat

Users can switch to "group" if they want to connect with multiple people. Like other instant messaging services, group chats work for a variety of purposes, from family conversations to business partnerships. According to a recent article, the Telegram group has been popular among students. Instead of emailing teachers or texting friends at the same time, students share questions and answers in an ongoing Discord chat.

Telegram groups have also become an alternative to Slack in some countries. For example, one source claims that in Russia more people prefer Telegram than Salesforce organizations. Partly because it's completely free. As we will see later, this can pave the way for an income model.

Telegram groups, like other apps, have a special life because the name is almost unbelievable. Telegram supports up to 200,000 members and WhatsApp can only have up to 256 members. Telegram has developed sharing and management tools to manage these types of users, and the management team can create integrated teams to inform the world and improve the way members can interact.

channel

If a Telegram group uses Discord, the "channel" is a Twitter or Reddit fax. Channels are not social media, but they are broadcast and have no impact on the number of users. For example, some Telegram affiliates have over 8 million subscribers.

Popular channels memes, photos, news, quotes and more. More than 400 million people watch Telegram channels every day. Channel owners can view product information. If the channel owner wants to allow viewers to chat, you can create detailed posts in the channel.

audio and video

After seeing the virus spread everywhere, Telegram supported improving its sound capacity. In fact, Telegram started with phone calls, but now the Telegram group and channel can have "unlimited" voice chat, millions of people can join, and leaders can invite participants to organize, record chats and share the following links: yes. Chats outside the app. Telegram outperforms Clubhouse in terms of listening time because it already has a large following.

call

The company also tracked video, from calls to group calls to streaming doctors. Telegram can now support up to 1,000 viewers and is easy to save and view. Further improvements can be expected. According to the Telegram blog:

“We will continue to increase the limit until everyone around the world can join our appeal group and see our (next) celebrations.

Payment

You may not have seen it, but Telegram first appeared in beta in 2017, but supports in-app payments, which limits interactions with Telegram "bots". The interface allows users to "do everything from ordering a pizza to calling a cab to replace winter tires when they're winter-tired."

How many people have done this? The blog update mentions that Telegram now joins 15 other payment providers, including Stripe, but the fact that the company did not celebrate the milestone still indicates this low impact. Over time, payments will become an integral part of the Telegram platform. The company no longer spends money, but it is easy to think of a small rake that gives the electric power that the Pavel Durov team can continue to develop.

Other points

In addition to Telegram's core features, there are a lot more that many people don't see.

For example, Telegram prevents the publication of free text. When sending private messages, you can select some or all of the letters and mark them as hidden. To decrypt it, the reader must click on it. (However, this special offer is only available in certain countries.)

call

Another useful value is "Neighbors". It comes by default for privacy, but if you enable it, anyone can find local groups and chat.

There are additional features similar to text recognition, a set of bots that can send emails or start the game, and an additional ID. It doesn't look like these will play a major role in the future Telegram, but all of these points make it a better product.

Telegram direction

Little is known about Telegram culture, but you can see the vision of Telegram culture from how it works and what makes it different.

Founder's Direction

A friend from Amazon said that, like many other companies, e-commerce giants are gearing up in "third parties". Entry-level engineers can be level 4 or "L4" and VP can be L10. The largest is the L12, which has only one member, founder Jeff Bezos. (It still sounds kind of ridiculous. Why do we need new classrooms that no one can access to support Jeff Bezos' supremacy?)

The telegram looks like this. Pavel Durov is a master of management. It not only brings investments to the company, but also brings the vision of the company. So who is Pavel Durov?

As we said, this seems like a negative and incoherent attitude that talks about living and escaping the trap of negativity and wealth. Pavel Durov describes himself as an iconoclast, but is accused of collaborating with the FSB, and his lean financial options are more traditional. Abu Dhabi is a modern city, but the UAE is not an exceptional fortress. Of course, no country is perfect. Especially in the United States. However, some of Pavel Durov's most important human and business decisions illustrate more than a theory of plasticity.

Apart from these breaks, Pavel Durov is an expert programmer with extensive experience in product marketing. One staff member described it as "recommended" for being able to find professional engineers and join them on their assignment, which incentivizes high performance and fast delivery.

Another key player was Telegram's CTO, Nikolai Durov, who was responsible for the design and development of key components and was selected to complete the entire MTProto and TON specification on his own. He does it alone. Nikolai Durov is a geeky character. On the Middle Ages show, a childhood friend told a story he had heard about. Nikolai Durov was so obsessed with his work that he didn't see the bugs falling out of the bowl, and unaware of that, I ended up "wanting to eat."

Telegram staff seemed shy about Nikolai Durov and didn't communicate often in the big team, but Pavel Durov took special care of his brother because Pavel Durov liked Nikolai Durov very much, so Pavel Durov Durov gave him everything, that he would give it away. The tools he needs to succeed.

shipping

As mentioned earlier, Telegram is known for its fast delivery. Even though WhatsApp is only four years old, Telegram is growing fast and growing with good performance. Now WhatsApp and FB Messenger both lag behind Pavel Durov's Telegram, and some Telegram features were also announced last year.

The reason why the product can be completed quickly is due to the flat management Telegram standard. If Telegram works like VK, it means that the company has several management responsibilities, and they are "small and fast". ", a lot of decisions are made by Pavel Durov alone.

mining skills

Telegram would have done a very good job of hiring engineers. This is partly thanks to the reputation of Pavel Durov. In Russia, he is considered a generation of entrepreneurs and a symbol of technological progress. A source explains how it helps Telegram photos.

"In Russia, Telegram is already a symbol."

This allows the company to select and select leading producers from Russia. (According to some reports, Russia has some of the best software engineers in the world, and Russian manufacturers have won more international colleges than any other country.)

finance

Telegram has its own financial options, but Pavel Durov might prefer to raise funds through an IPO. The company said it would focus on going public in 2023, which could draw on the terms of the deal.

According to an article in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti, Pavel Durov has started talks with an investment bank and is looking for a suitable registration site. Clearly, Pavel Durov decides to register directly with SPAC, but he seems to be leaning more towards the latter. The New York Stock Exchange is volatile, but Asian stock exchanges, including the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, are also on its mind.

How will Telegram be measured if it goes public today?

By the time it came to 2014, WhatsApp had reached 400 million users, meaning Facebook paid around $55 per user. Assuming Telegram has over 600 million active users, it could be worth $32.7 billion.

But eight years after the launch of WhatsApp, the industry has changed. Media companies signaled their capital inflows, fintechs got into a variety of products, and tech companies came ahead. Ordering Telegram at the same price per user gives the impression that there is no end date.

You may need to look to the private sector for a better comparison. Last September, Discord raised $500 million, valued at $15 billion. At the time, the company advertised 150 million active users, or the equivalent of $100 per user. Based on this, Telegram will be worth nearly $60 billion, which is a good sign of a worthy company.

Competitors compare

Of course, the main difference between Telegram and Discord is income. Discord founder Jason Citron has earned $130 million in his business ventures.

If Telegram was making money, it would never have been so big.

Can Telegram be published without income? Today's marketers are eager to get the company's media presence faster than they could have been with Facebook's IPO, but they want to see signs of market demand. To do this, Telegram had to find a way to make money.

How does Telegram make money?

Although the product market is relatively hot, Telegram seems to be a non-applicable application in some ways, and the design is not yet complete. Despite some trials, Pavel Durov's team has not yet decided on the definitive business model and will have to try to continue and change its advertising, registration and payment options.

While Pavel Durov believes that advertising trusts users with fraudulent information, Telegram is ready to make money "like this":

announcement

In October 2021, Pavel Durov announced that he would allow telegram broadcasting without any dependency on user data. We will also try to generate revenue for advertisers by allowing them access to specific programs. Instead of pointing to specific age groups, regions, and users expressing their interests, sponsors can promote their product in a way dedicated to their content. groups. Until now, advertisers could only connect with more than 1,000 users and required a minimum investment of $2 million or more. It should be noted that Telegram seeks to distribute part of its revenue to channel owners in a timely manner.

The question is, will this model work? Like a battle. For advertisers, good intentions are paramount, so Telegram seems to be dissatisfied with advertisers in this way. Pavel Durov himself always hated advertising, so it's hard to think about running a successful advertising business. Samples.

application

So where else can Telegram get money? Subscriptions can be another option that comes in various forms. The company has come up with a "cheap product" that removes the ads it adds. It's not particularly great, but it can open user support like "server boosts" where Discord monetizes.

If you want to know more, it's not hard to think of a subscription service monetizing its power users, especially those running large groups or channels. For example, there may be better features after payment, but Telegram has to be careful not to upset its developers. Since Telegram has been used as an alternative to Slack in some parts of the world, the price may be affected by its high demand, but it may indicate the level of activity. .

WhatsApp's "industrial" products seem to go in this direction, but instead of focusing on internal communication, they provide marketing tools to help their customers again. This includes marketing and user support tools. Facebook makes money by providing these features for free and encouraging businesses to buy ads on Instagram or Facebook itself, but Telegram will pay the price. And over time, Telegram can also compete with companies such as Hubspot and Intercom to provide alternative routes for mobile businesses.

WhatsApp

Payment

Making money by paying seems like the most natural choice for Pavel Durov. Although it has not yet been applied to Telegram, it seems that there are completion conditions. Not only does Telegram have a large customer base, but it is also attracted by the fact that the majority of its customers come from low-income regions, such as Armenia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Jordan, and Venezuela. Additionally, due to their unfortunate situation with TON, the company has a global cryptocurrency that can be used effectively. Last year, Pavel Durov announced that the app would support Toncoin payments. This is perhaps the first step in integrated social media crypto trading.

Telegram staff also spoke about scan area-based payments, warning of the lack of international payment integration, compared to the current state of messaging before WhatsApp. Just as WhatsApp changed the way gaming works across platforms, Telegram can do the same by skipping or sharing existing payment processes. The result is just as simple. Seamlessly exchange data (in this case money) anywhere in the world, leveraging or integrating stability coins or other cryptocurrencies.

Facebook is pursuing this with Diem, but Telegram will be in a better position. Consumers don't trust Mark Zuckerberg's company, but Telegram is aware of his privacy, which can be better when it comes to financial issues.

Using a payment strategy can make Telegram stronger than WhatsApp, making it one of the most profitable companies in the world. Even if you do not become a big payment world, you can strengthen security if you have this activity.

Why believe in Telegram?

Despite its lack of financial success, Telegram was able to build a successful business around its messaging app. Facebook doesn't know how to use WhatsApp yet, but WeChat and LINE are making a lot of money.

When it comes to profitability, WeChat is the best. Tencent's companies have more of an ecosystem than an application that provides chat, payment, e-commerce, games and more through an interface, and the company has received money through the advertising, payments and purchases. It's hard to separate WeChat's revenue from the rest of Tencent, but a report in January showed WeChat had reached $250 billion in market share in a single year, with payments coming in as "small plans." ". This is a third request. Built for the platform.

Backed by, WeChat only announced a "small service" in 2017, and now supports over one million subscribers. From the perspective of active users, WeChat does not seem to trade far from Telegram. According to the same report, WeChat has 1.2 billion monthly users, about twice as many as Telegram.

Can Telegram achieve similar success? The answer may not be that simple as WeChat has had the backing of big business and there are some great organizations helping to fund the improvements.

Another example is LINE, a Japanese company with around 160 million monthly users. Among them, 84 million live in their country of origin. Revenues by 2020 have reached $1.5 billion through a mix of games, payments and purchases. Thousands of dollars are not enough to sustain Telegram retail in the long run, but it can provide a good foundation.

Whichever way Telegram chooses, for now, you need to act fast.

You should be glad Telegram did. The app may not be as personal as you think, but it certainly addresses user safety and encourages competitors to improve. At the same time, it raises the bar both in terms of usability and depth of action.

Time will tell where Telegram and Pavel Durov go. Telegram was content to live with bigger companies for most of its time. But as it reaches new heights and surpasses one billion users, that claim no longer makes sense. Complete and unique telegram. The messenger is responsible for not forgetting to follow its users. Durov the game has just started.