Durov announces Telegram's partnership with Musk's xAI, who says no deal signed yet
Telegram and Elon Musk's xAI will enter a one-year partnership, integrating the Grok chatbot into the messaging app, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced on May 28.
Musk, the world's richest man who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, commented that "no deal has been signed," prompting Durov to clarify that the deal has been agreed in "principle" with "formalities pending."
"This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market," Durov said.
"Elon Musk and I have agreed to a one-year partnership to bring xAI's chatbot Grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps."
The announcement comes as Musk announces his exit from his role in the Trump administration to focus on his business ventures, many of which saw their profits drop in the past few months.
Musk founded xAI in 2023, and earlier this year, another of his ventures, X Corp., which operates the X social platform, acquired the AI company. Grok is xAI's flagship project and has already been integrated into X.
Musk's takeover of X saw the social platform, formerly known as Twitter, become the leading source of disinformation, EU officials said. The Grok chatbot also faced scrutiny recently after posting unprompted comments on the topic of so-called "white genocide" in South Africa, Musk's home country.
Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, currently resides in Dubai and holds Russian, Emirati, and French citizenship. He is under investigation in France for criminal activity on his messaging app.
Durov has claimed he is a pariah and has been effectively exiled from Russia, but it was reported last year that he had visited Russia over 60 times since leaving the country, according to Kremlingram, a Ukrainian group that campaigns against the use of Telegram in Ukraine.
Telegram remains one of the most popular social media platforms among Ukrainians. A September 2023 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicated that 44% of Ukrainians use Telegram to receive information and news.
Ukrainian officials have warned about security risks associated with using Telegram, leading to restrictions on its use by civil servants and politicians.
Read also: Trump holds off on sanctions to push Ukraine-Russia peace efforts
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lois Boisson reaches French Open second week after Roland Garros nightmare last year
Follow The Athletic's French Open coverage Welcome to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On day seven, Jõao Fonseca was bigboyed, a French wild card achieved a deferred milestone and the American world No. 1 added to criticism of the tournament's night sessions. Before this week, the only thing most casual sports fans knew about French tennis player Lois Boisson was that she had been the object of a nasty moment from British player Harriet Dart. Dart asked the chair umpire to tell Boisson to wear deodorant because she 'smells really bad,' during a 6-0, 6-3 defeat to Boisson in the last 32 of the Rouen Open in April. Courtside microphones picked up her complaint over her opponent's personal hygiene during a changeover in the second set. Advertisement The tennis gods appear to have punished Dart. The Brit has not won a WTA Tour match since, while Boisson is into the second week of her home Grand Slam for the first time. After her three-set, third-round win over fellow French wild card Elsa Jacquemot at Roland Garros, Boisson was asked if the Dart incident had been difficult to deal with. 'It was not difficult to deal with. It was okay. It was nothing for me,' she said. Boisson would know, as would tennis fans that spend a little more time studying every level of the game. She was supposed to be in the French Open this time last year, as a reward for a remarkable 2024 season. Like the emerging players at this year's event, Victoria Mboko of Canada and Tereza Valentová of Czechia, Boisson went on a tear through the ITF Tennis Tour, two rungs below the top of women's tennis. She went 31-7 on the year, the kind of win streak that suggests any breakthrough run at a bigger event is the sign not of a purple patch, but something more sustainable. A week before the tournament, she tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee and missed nine months of tennis. It caused her pain against Jacquemot, especially in a second set that Boisson lost 6-0, but she said she is used to managing it. Boisson, who started the tournament as world No. 361 and will be in the top 200 coming out of it, will face American world No. 3 Jessica Pegula for a spot in the quarterfinals. Matt Futterman For João Fonseca, Saturday was a humbling afternoon as he was thrashed 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 by Jack Draper. A Grand Slam third-round at 18 is a significant achievement, even for a player with a ceiling as high as Fonseca's, but this match showed the importance of raising the floor. Had Fonseca made the fourth round, he would have been only the third 18-year-old to do so at Roland Garros since 2000. The other two are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Draper is the first top-five player Fonseca has played, and only the second top-10 player after Andrey Rublev, who the Brazilian dispatched in a thrilling performance at January's Australian Open. Advertisement In his news conference, Draper was too diplomatic to suggest that a match up problem contributed to the result, but world No. 3 Alexander Zverev outlined what he sees during his own conference. 'I think Jack really doesn't fit him. It's as simple as that. Lefty, heavy forehand to his backhand is still a little bit of a problem,' Zverev said. The most obvious and important element, however, was the gulf in strategy and in variety of attacking approach. Fonseca is used to his near-peerless weight of shot knocking opponents back, which gives him time to step into the court and finish points. Draper was able not just to absorb his power, but to send it back with interest, turning points from defense into attack in ways Fonseca couldn't consistently match. That led the Brazilian to go more even more power and thinner margins, weighting the match further and further in Draper's favor. The Brit showcased his variety through his use of the drop shot, hitting 15 in total as Fonseca tired. The Brazilian said that Draper's intensity, and his ability to 'be aggressive but not going for the lines,' stood out. Draper and Zverev have both themselves experienced the challenge of making the step up from gifted youngster to established tour player, and know that it takes time. Fonseca was given a lesson Saturday, but his career so far suggests that he is ready to learn from it. Charlie Eccleshare Pegula became the latest player to criticize the French Open's policy of scheduling only men's matches in the primetime night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier. 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On Saturday in Paris, she saved three match points against Sofia Kenin to reach the second week of the French Open. Serving at 4-5 in the third set, she saved the first with a big kick serve that Kenin couldn't get back. She saved the next one with big deep forehand that Kenin sent long. Then came a ripping, angled cross-court backhand. Two points later she was level at 5-5. She won the next two games and headed to the fourth round against Hailey Baptiste. Advertisement Baptiste has gone a long way lately toward shaking that same reputation. She has struggled to break through on the tour the past couple of years, even as she got to the precipice of some big wins. She served for a first-round win in Australia against Germany's Laura Siegmund, for example, but couldn't close and lost the next set and the match. She's been a tough out lately though. She's won six consecutive tiebreaks, including one in Saturday's win over Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Now comes Keys. 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Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
Around The World In Luxury For 60 Days, $85,000 Plus Airfare
Bespoke travel group Butterfield & Robinson is launching a 60-day world trip in March 2026, with ... More destinations including Mexico, Morocco, India, Turkey, Cambodia, Vietnam and Burgundy, France. Pricing starts at $85,000. The bespoke travel group Butterfield & Robinson just announced a 60-Day Around the World trip. The Around the World in 60 Days trip will take luxury travelers to 6 significant world destinations. Kicking off in Oaxaca, Mexico, the trips, created by Butterfield & Robinson's 'experience designers,' then takes travelers to Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Morocco and Turkey. The trip ends in the Burgundy region of France, which Butterfield & Robinson calls its "soul' and is the location of its European office. The company calls it a 'trip collection' because the sixty-day trip is broken into six separate journeys, allowing guests to take the whole trip or any individual segment. 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The travelers will get to stay in a restored 300-year-old palace, privately reserved for the India it's on to Morocco, for 'Atlas to Atlantic: A Grand Moroccan Adventure' Travelers will get to hike in the foothills of the Atlas mountains with a trusted mountain guide, lunch with 'amazing' Amazigh locals, and trade stories in remote villages, perhaps over mint tea. The group will cruise the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, watch a Sahara sunset by camel, and toast it all with a private charter off to Casablanca. The group will stay in unique properties from a private Sahara camp to the Royal Mansour Casablanca, enjoying fresh, locally sourced cuisine at each stop. From Morocco the road takes the travelers to 'Ancient Türkiye: Cappadocia to Coast,' where Butterfield & Robinson says history, adventure, and indulgence collide. Travelers will wander Istanbul's famed bazaars, fly in hot air balloons over Cappadocia's fairy chimneys, and pedal past Lycian ruins along the Aegean coast. Cappadocia, which attracts the attention of local and foreign tourists with its fairy chimneys hot ... More air balloons as well as rock-carved historical sites, hosts millions of visitors every year in Nevsehir, Turkiye on April 22, 2025. (Photo by Behcet Alkan/Anadolu via Getty Images) Travelers will explore ancient sites like the Hagia Sophia and Kaymakli Underground City. The group will sail the Mediterranean by private yacht. There will be stops to swim, snorkel, and cycle along the coast, with feasts at sunset. The journey will give visitors a rare insight into Turkish culture through visiting its vibrant markets and villages, as well as dining on local cuisine. Finally, the trip concludes in Burgundy, in what B&R calls 'A Grand Cru Soirée.' The company considers Burgundy its second home. Travelers will experience scenic rides over vine-covered hills and get to savor rare vintages and meals that might have befitted French royalty. Guests will cycle through picture-perfect villages, tour Beaune with local hosts, picnic among vineyards, and barrel-taste at exclusive domaines. One of the wine tastings will let guests taste wines with a rising-star winemaker pioneering sustainable winemaking techniques. With château stays, cellar secrets, and plenty of surprises, the company says 'This isn't just Burgundy. It's our pièce de résistance'. 'To celebrate Butterfield & Robinson's 60th anniversary, we wanted to do something truly special—something that captures the spirit of adventure we've been championing since day one,' says Mike Scarola, CEO of Butterfield & Robinson. Cycling on the wine route among the vineyards in autumn colors in France. 'Our team of Experience Designers looked at everything, from flight paths to seasonality and local holidays, to craft an itinerary that flows seamlessly and highlights both iconic destinations and emerging gems,' Scarola added. 'This journey is the ultimate expression of what we do best: immersive, meaningful travel to the world's most extraordinary places.'
Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Trump to withdraw billionaire Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, a person familiar with the administration's personnel decisions said Saturday. The individual was not authorized to comment publicly. The White House and NASA did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Trump announced last December during the presidential transition that he had chosen Isaacman to be the space agency's next administrator. Isaacman is the CEO and founder of Shift4, a credit card processing company. He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. Isaacman testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on April 9 and a vote to send his nomination to the full Senate was expected soon. SpaceX is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump supporter and adviser who announced this week that he is leaving the government after several months at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Trump created the agency to slash the size of government and put Musk in charge. Semafor was first to report that the White House had decided to pull Isaacman's nomination.
