One of the 'most-controversial' messaging app gets $300 million from Elon Musk: Here's what the deal is all about
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
Telegram
CEO Pavel Durov announced a partnership with
Elon Musk
's AI company
xAI
to bring the AI chatbot Grok to its more than 1 billion users. Durov announced the deal on X (formerly Twitter), saying the integration will happen this summer. 'This summer, Telegram users will get access to the best AI technology on the market,' Durov wrote. '@elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI's @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps,' he added.
Telegram to get $300 million from Musk-owned xAI
As part of the one-year partnership, Telegram will receive $300 million in cash and shares from xAI, Durov revealed. The messaging app will also get half of the money made from Grok subscriptions sold through Telegram.
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Durov said the deal will help Telegram's finances and create new ways to earn revenue. 'Together, we win,' he added.
This move will allow Telegram users to use Grok's AI features directly within the app. The partnership comes as xAI looks to expand Grok beyond Musk's social media platform X, aiming to reach more users and grow its business.
When a user asked 'Will any telegram data be provided for training as a part of the deal?', Pavel replied saying 'No, this has not been discussed.'
Here's what Telegram CEO Pavel Durov wrote
In the X post, Durov wrote:
'This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market. @elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI's @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps.
This also strengthens Telegram's financial position: we will receive $300M in cash and equity from xAI, plus 50% of the revenue from xAI subscriptions sold via Telegram. Together, we win.'
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Time of India
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When Elon Musk arrived in Washington to join the Trump administration, he brought the energy of a Silicon Valley disruptor armed with a chain saw and the confidence of someone who had never failed to shake up an industry. From Cabinet meetings in a 'tech support' shirt and MAGA hat to lounging in the Lincoln Bedroom after a tub of caramel ice cream, Musk stormed into the federal government with bold ideas, sweeping power, and a $250 million campaign donation. Now, just months later, Musk is out — leaving behind what the Associated Press calls 'upheaval and unmet expectations,' as the self-styled savior of government efficiency exits with little to show and much damage left behind. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Musk's departure as a senior adviser, announced earlier this week, comes amid his decision to halt political donations and criticize the cornerstone of Trump's legislative agenda. His exit caps a whirlwind tenure marked by controversial firings, hollow cost-cutting claims, and a series of legal and bureaucratic setbacks. 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Time of India
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Rajat Sharma , Founder & CEO, Sana Securities , says he favours private banking, highlighting HDFC Bank , Axis Bank , and Federal Bank . These banks benefit from non-interest income. Sharma is also optimistic about the IT sector, noting attractive valuations for companies like Infosys and TCS . Increased spending in the US will benefit Indian IT firms. He believes these tech giants will remain core portfolio components. Which themes are looking good to you right now? What are you bullish on? Rajat Sharma: Yes, in terms of themes, clearly with it is almost a given that next week there will be a rate cut in the MPC's meeting, so banking of course is one sector that I have been bullish on for a very long time because private banking in particular has already anyways been trading fairly cheap compared to a lot of the other pockets of the market. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Simulated crews, big ambitions The 2026 mission won't carry humans. Instead, it will feature a simulated crew made up of robots designed in the Optimus humanoid format by Tesla. The first human missions could follow in the second or third landings, Musk said. Eventually, SpaceX plans to launch 1,000 to 2,000 ships to Mars every two years. 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