Pavel Durov, Telegram CEO and founder, has celebrated the communications platform achieving one billion monthly active users by calling rival WhatsApp a “cheap, watered down imitation.” Durov came back to Dubai last week after being away for a number of months since a criminal investigation into criminality on Telegram.
Durov announced that Telegram had one billion monthly active users on his own channel. That represents a boost of 50 million users from last year. He further stated that the firm had made $547 million in earnings in 2024.
The CEO also took a jab at competitor WhatsApp, which boasts over 2 billion monthly active users.
“Before us stands WhatsApp – a cheap watered-down version of Telegram. For years they’ve tried to copy our innovations at the cost of investing billions in PR campaigns and lobbying to slow us down. They failed. Telegram grew, became profitable, and – unlike our competitor – stayed independent,” Durov wrote.
In August 2024, Durov was arrested by the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA) at Le Bourget airport in France. He was apprehended immediately upon alighting his private plane after a flight from Azerbaijan.
French officials stated that Durov’s arrest was in connection with an investigation into Telegram’s inability to censor suspected criminal activity on the platform. Days later, Durov was charged with several crimes, including not stopping CSAM and other extreme content, and released on bail.
He was placed under formal investigation and prohibited from leaving the country – the Russian-born billionaire holds French citizenship since 2021 and also a United Arab Emirates passport.
French media reports indicate that a judge altered the conditions of Durov’s bail a few days ago and allowed him to go abroad for several weeks. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that his judicial restrictions were relaxed between March 15 and April 7.
“The process continues, but it’s wonderful to be back home,” he stated. “I would like to thank the investigating judges for allowing this to occur, as well as my lawyers and staff for their tireless work in proving that, when it comes to moderation, cooperation and combating crime, for years Telegram not only complied but went beyond its legal requirements.”
Telegram has made a move to a legal platform since the arrest of Durov. It is cooperating with US agencies in sharing IP addresses, phone numbers, and other important information for users’ identification purposes, according to hundreds of data requests involving thousands of users.
Telegram also now has an in-house team of moderators focused entirely on finding crime on the site, and the company joined the Internet Watch Foundation as part of its CSAM war.
