Latest news with #PavelDurov
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
A Musk-Telegram AI Pact Sets the Stage for More Drama
Conspiracy theories and extremism on Pavel Durov's freewheeling app could be supercharged by a deep integration with AI chatbot Grok. By Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of 'Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World.' Save It's hard to find a pair of tech billionaires more alike than Elon Musk and Pavel Durov. Both are staunch libertarians who run large social media platforms with minimal content moderation, and both champion themselves as defenders of free speech. Both are also pro-natalists, with Durov claiming to have fathered more than 100 biological children through sperm donation. It's an ideological match made in heaven — and perhaps in business too. Durov this week announced a one-year partnership with Musk's xAI, in which the latter artificial intelligence lab would pay Telegram $300 million in cash and equity to integrate its Grok chatbot into the messaging app. In essence, Telegram gets whizzy new AI features while Grok gets distribution on a platform with roughly 1 billion users, double the number of people on X. But there are a couple of snags.
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Telegram set to get US$300M and half of xAI revenue from from Grok chatbot deal, 'pending formalities'
Photo: X/Pavel Durov NEW YORK: Telegram will receive US$300 million (S$388 million) in cash and equity, plus half the revenue from xAI subscriptions sold through the app, in a new one-year deal with Elon Musk's xAI to launch the Grok chatbot on its platform, Malay Mail reported, citing a post on X by Telegram founder Pavel Durov. He said Grok will be available on Telegram starting this summer. Mr Musk tweeted back that no deal has been signed, with Mr Durov adding that the deal was 'agreed in principle' but formalities are pending. While the terms may seem one-sided, the agreement gives xAI, which acquired Mr Musk's X platform in late March, access to Telegram's user base, estimated by Mr Durov to exceed one billion. In terms of user security, Mr Durov said, 'User privacy is paramount. To be clear, xAI will only access data that Telegram users explicitly share with Grok through direct interactions. That's expected — you can't message anyone (including a chatbot) without sharing what you write.' Generative AI companies have been focusing on expanding their user base to recoup the huge investments they made. xAI launched the latest version of Grok, called Grok 3, in February. It's currently available on X, but access is limited to non-subscribers. Subscriptions for Grok cost US$40 monthly or US$395 a year. The move puts Mr Musk in competition with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as Grok 3 is up against OpenAI's ChatGPT. 🔥 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… — Pavel Durov (@durov) May 28, 2025 /TISG Read also: Tesla supporters rush to buy more stock after CEO Musk urges employees to 'hang on' despite 50% plunge in 3 months
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Telegram announces partnership with Musk
Elon Musk's startup xAI will invest $300 million and deploy its Grok AI chatbot in partnership with the messaging app Telegram, according to a statement by the app's CEO Pavel Durov published on Wednesday. In announcing the deal, Durov said that he and Musk had agreed to a one-year partnership designed to strengthen 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,' he said. Musk later stated on X that 'no deal has been signed,' without providing any additional details, prompting Durov to clarify that the parties had reached an agreement in principle, with formalities still to be finalized. Telegram said Grok AI is set to be integrated into Telegram, with users expected to begin accessing the AI-powered features starting this summer. Users will be able to interact with Grok directly within the app, using a built-in chatbot to generate content or engage in open-ended conversations on a wide range of topics. The partnership with xAI comes amid an effort by Telegram to raise at least $1.5 billion through a new bond issuance, including from existing backers such as BlackRock and Abu Dhabi investment firm Mubadala. Telegram is reportedly expected to use the funds to buy back debt issued through an earlier bond sale. The deal signals that investors continue to support Telegram, even as its CEO faces charges in France. Durov, whose company is based in Dubai, was arrested in France in August 2024 and accused of complicity in crimes allegedly committed by Telegram users, including extremism and child abuse. He was later released on €5 million ($5.46 million) bail. Although he was allowed to travel to the UAE in March, his recent request to visit the US was denied, and he remains under restricted supervision. Telegram's popularity continues to grow as the app maintains free services for users. In 2025, the messenger surpassed one billion monthly users and last year the app achieved over $1 billion in revenue, marking its first profitable year since introducing monetization. The company's financial growth has reportedly been driven by a surge in Telegram Premium subscribers and strong advertising performance.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk 花 3 億美金，讓 Grok AI 深度整合至 Telegram 一年
Elon Musk 旗下 xAI 的 Grol AI 對話機器人雖然能夠近水樓台，直接整合到同門 X 社群平台來擁大龐大的用戶群，但愈多人用還是愈好的吧。Telegram 創辦人 Pavel Durov 確認與 xAI 簽訂了 1 年期的合作，以 3 億美元等值的現金和 xAI 股票為代價，把 Grok 整合至 TG 通訊軟件之中，同時如果有人通過 TG 訂閱 Grok Premium 和 Premium+ 服務，將能再獲一半分潤。 這場看似一面倒讓 Telegram 發大財的交易，其實是讓 Grok AI 能接觸到聲稱每月活躍用戶超過 10 億的巨大群體，帶來極大的訂閱潛力。而且 xAI 還可以透過 TG 上的公開頻道內容來訓練 Grok AI 模型，所以 3 億美元其實是非常划算的。 🔥 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… — Pavel Durov (@durov) May 28, 2025 在這合作之前，Grok 已經登陸 Telegram 並只限於 TG Premium 用戶使用，截稿前的每月用戶數為 14 萬左右，只佔聲稱已超過 1,500 萬 TG Premium 用戶的不足 1%。在簽訂了正式合作關係之後，相信會獲大力推廣使用。TG 預告將會在夏季推出更新，把 Grok 直接釘選在 TG 對話的頂部、整合至搜尋列提供 AI 搜尋功能、事實查核、提供 app 裡文字修改建議，而且還有對話、文件、網頁的總結，甚至有 AI 對話代理。 更多內容： xAI 為 Grok 聊天機器推出「Grok Vision」功能，讓它可以與手機鏡頭的影像互動 Grok app 免費下載、新功能即時用！SuperGrok 價位與詳細功能公開 最新 Grok3 AI 模型登場：加入推理模型與 DeepSearch，Elon Musk 強調比 OpenAI、DeepSeek 更強 Grok 3 發佈後，X Preimum+ 月費即時加一倍！ 緊貼最新科技資訊、網購優惠，追隨 Yahoo Tech 各大社交平台！ 🎉📱 Tech Facebook： 🎉📱 Tech Instagram： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 社群： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 頻道： 🎉📱 Tech Telegram 頻道：
