Telegram, known as the encrypted (privacy-oriented) messaging app, is about making a big move. Pavel Durov, the company’s founder – has shared the goal to become profitable very shortly and aims to provide the platform for the Initial Public Offering (IPO) by the end of the year.
That latest exciting information coincides with the growing waves of Telegram’s monthly active users which are remarkable and have reached over 900 million. This audacious audience cannot be ignored and has brought up advertising monetization and more subscriptions already actualizing hundreds of millions of dollars to the company. Durov stated that Telegram had had offers coming to its company valuation of far more than 30$ billion.
Nevertheless, Telegram traces a new pattern, which contradicts the wild Silicon Valley tradition. While an IPO may be happening, that does not mean that Durov is trying to sell it. On the contrary, he is still on the case and he ensures independence from potential investors. He views an IPO as a mechanism for the distribution of these capital gains to all the shares for the general public.
In the first place, the company is delivering promotions. An upgraded version of the premium service, that came out just two years ago, gained over a million paying subscribers. In this regard, they’ve given content creators the chance to make money through the targeted advertisement as well as the 55 percent sharing of the revenue with the channel owners, which will see the latter begin this month.
Although Durov mentions advertising is constrained by geographical factors and demands high minimum spending, in the future, he envisions users listing products for sale and taking part in augmented reality games In the context of this year Telegram wants to establish advertisement possibilities for any region and advertisers with lesser budgets.
Besides ads and subscriptions, Telegram, however, is actively delving into the blockchain technology. Later on, through TON they tried out the auction sale of special usernames on the TON Blockchain allowing users to use the app without a SIM card. Moreover, the Telegram platform has recently come up with a global self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet (applicable everywhere except in the US) which helps with the safe storage of crypto.
Looking ahead, Telegram is embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the future. They plan to develop AI-powered chatbots for business users to enhance customer service. AI will also play a role in tackling moderation challenges, a persistent issue for large online platforms.
Telegram’s trajectory is exciting. With a growing user base, innovative monetization strategies, and a focus on technological advancements, the company is poised for significant growth and potential public ownership. Their commitment to user privacy while exploring new revenue streams suggests a future where security and financial sustainability go hand-in-hand.
