Coup de tonnerre dans la tech: Telegram has just sealed a strategic deal with xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company. The goal? To integrate Grok, xAI’s star chatbot, directly into the messaging app used by over a billion people.
Deal amount: $300 million in cash and stock. Additionally, Telegram will receive 50% of the revenues generated by Grok subscriptions sold through its app.
Telegram allies with xAI from Grok and secures $1.5B funding
It’s Pavel Durov himself who announced the partnership on X, summarizing the agreement with a simple: “Together, we win!” This move comes as Telegram finalizes a $1.5 billion bond offering. A heavyweight round, backed by giants like BlackRock, Citadel, and Mubadala. These funds will be used to buy back debt issued in 2021, as the company potentially prepares for an IPO.
The new obligations, with a 5-year maturity and 9% interest rate, are convertible into shares if Telegram goes public. Quite appealing to the most aggressive investors in the market.
TON skyrockets
The announcement has electrified the markets. The TON token, tied to the Telegram-linked blockchain, surged by 20% in a few hours, briefly hitting $3.7 from $3.28. The movement even started two hours before the official announcement, hinting that some had sniffed out the deal.
Originally developed by Telegram, the TON blockchain is now an independent project but closely tied to the messaging ecosystem. Strategic interest in the network has further strengthened in April, with the tokenization of $500 million in Telegram debt on TON, through Libre’s Telegram Bond Fund (TBF).
A profitable and growing machine
After years of financial uncertainty, Telegram shows glowing health. In 2024, the company posted $540 million in profits on $1.4 billion in revenue, compared to a $173 million loss a year earlier. For 2025, it aims for over $700 million in profits, driven by new revenue sources: in-app ads, digital gifts, and a platform for bots and mini-apps.
With this deal signed with Elon Musk, Durov sends a clear message: Telegram is no longer just a secure messenger but a super-app in motion, powered by artificial intelligence and decentralized finance.
