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Telegram is a cloud-based cross-platform instant messaging software that focuses on security and speed. It supports one-on-one and group chats, channel broadcasting, file sharing (up to 2GB per file), secret chats (end-to-end encrypted), and self-destructing messages. Telegram provides an open bot API and custom stickers, and allows the creation of large groups. Its technology is based on the proprietary MTProto protocol to ensure reliable data transmission. It is free to use without ads and emphasizes privacy.
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About Telegram
Telegram is a cross-platform cloud-based messaging app known for its speed, synchronization across devices, and large group chats (up to 200,000 members). Its core business includes secure messaging (with optional end-to-end encrypted 'Secret Chats'), file sharing (up to 2GB per file), channels for broadcasting, and a bot platform that has evolved into a major ecosystem for AI agents.
Its competitive edge lies in a combination of openness and utility: unlike many rivals, Telegram offers a fully documented API, free and open-source clients, and a decentralized approach to bot deployment. This has made it a preferred infrastructure for both human communication and machine-to-machine interactions, especially as AI agents proliferate.
Market pain points addressed include privacy concerns (no ads, no third-party data sharing), reliability on weak connections, and the need for a single hub to manage messages, files, and automated workflows. It solves the problem of fragmented communication by syncing everything across devices without requiring the phone to stay connected.
In the past six months (2026-03-12 to 2026-09-12), Telegram saw explosive growth in AI bots, rising from ~3 million to over 8 million active bots, largely driven by OpenClaw AI agents. Telegram launched Cocoon, a decentralized GPU compute network for AI inference, with Telegram itself as its first major adopter. However, on 2026-07-13, the t.me domain was frozen by the registry, causing temporary service disruptions. Additionally, Telegram's privacy policy change (since 2024) allows sharing IP addresses and phone numbers with law enforcement upon legal requests, a notable shift from its earlier stance.
Telegram's core domain was blocked by its registrar, invalidating global t.me links and exposing infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Founder Pavel Durov announced TON fee cuts by six times, with Telegram becoming the network's largest validator and deploying the world's largest non-custodial crypto wallet this summer. The platform added inter-bot communication and a no-code AI bot builder, advancing its long-term ecosystem integration with blockchain and automation.
In the past six months, Telegram has made significant Web3 progress. In April 2026, the TON blockchain was upgraded to be 10x faster with instant transactions, the first step of the 'Make TON Great Again' plan. On June 15, Toncoin was renamed GRAM with 81.22% community support, no migration needed. On September 1, Telegram began rolling out its native non-custodial Gram Wallet to over 1 billion users, featuring instant zero-fee transfers via validator-approved smart contracts. Additionally, Wallet integrated Lighter to offer perpetual futures trading with up to 50x leverage and 50+ assets, initially in select jurisdictions.
Future priorities: continue the 'Make TON Great Again' plan, next cutting transaction fees by 6x; promote Gram Wallet as the default; and expand perpetual futures availability.
Pavel Durov is the co-founder and CEO of Telegram. Born in 1984, he is a Russian programmer. He previously founded VK, and later left Russia due to privacy concerns. In 2013, he co-founded Telegram with his brother Nikolai. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavel-durov-80174366/ Twitter: https://x.com/durov. No reliable information is available for other co-founders or core executives.