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Telegram founder: Telegram will start generating revenue next year, and ordinary users can still use it for free

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Tech companies of this size typically have two options: make money to cover costs, or sell the company

Rhythm BlockBeats news, on December 23, Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted a message on the Telegram channel to discuss Telegram's future vision. He said that starting next year, Telegram will generate revenue, mainly through the development of new features. And some free features will continue to be free, which means that ordinary users can continue to use Telegram for free.

The following is the original translation of Pavel Durov:

As Telegram approaches 500 million active users, many people are asking the question - who will pay for the expenses needed to support this growth? After all, more users means more traffic and server costs. A project of our size requires at least a few hundred million dollars a year to sustain itself.

For most of the history of Telegram, I used my personal savings to pay for the company. However, at the current rate of development, Telegram will have billions of users and will require proper funding. When a tech project reaches this size, there are usually two options - start making money to cover costs, or sell the company.

So the question is which way will Telegram go? I would like to make a few points to clarify our plan.

1. We will not sell the company like the founders of WhatsApp. The world needs Telegram to remain independent, to be a place where users are respected and high-quality services are guaranteed. Telegram must continue to serve the world as an example of a technology company that strives for perfection and integrity. And as the tragic examples of our predecessors show, this is not possible if you are part of a corporation.

2. Telegram will exist for a long time. We started developing apps for personal use over 8 years ago, and we've come a long way since then. In the process, Telegram changed the way people communicate in several ways: encryption, functionality, simplicity, design, speed. This journey has only just begun. We can and will bring more to the world.

3. To make points 1 and 2 possible, Telegram will start generating revenue, starting next year. We will do it according to our values and commitments of the past 7 years. Thanks to our current scale, we will be able to do it in a non-invasive way. Most users will barely notice any changes.

4. All features that are currently free will remain free. We will add some new features for business teams or power users. Some of these features will require more resources and will be paid for by these premium users. Normal users will continue to enjoy Telegram - for free, always free.

5. All sections of Telegram dedicated to messaging will remain ad-free. We think it's a bad idea to show ads in private 1:1 or group chats. Human-to-human communication should be free of advertising of any kind.

6. In addition to the information transmission part, Telegram also has a social network layer. Our massive public one-to-many channels can each have millions of users, more like Twitter feeds. In many markets, owners of such channels display ads to make money, sometimes using third-party advertising platforms. The ads they post look like ordinary messages and are often intrusive. We will address this by launching our own advertising platform for public one-to-many channels - one that is user-friendly, respects privacy, and allows us to cover the cost of servers and traffic.

7. If Telegram starts making money, the community should benefit too. For example, if we monetize large public one-to-many channels through an advertising platform, the owners of these channels will receive free traffic proportional to their size. Alternatively, if Telegram launches premium stickers with extra expressive features, artists who make this new type of stickers will also get a cut of the profits. We want millions of Telegram-based creators and small businesses to thrive and enrich the experience for all users.

This is the Telegram way.

This will keep us innovating and growing for decades to come. We will be able to roll out countless new features and welcome billions of new users. In doing so, we will remain independent and stay true to our values, redefining how a technology company should operate.