Pavel Durov says Telegram has 900M users, aims “to become profitable next year, if not this year”, was “offered $30B+ valuations” by VCs, and is weighing an IPO
In rare interview, Pavel Durov says secretive messaging app is making ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ from ads business
Context & Ripple Effects
Telegram’s reported 900M-user scale builds on its earlier move toward monetization: in 2020, the company said it would add an advertising platform for public channels as it approached 500M monthly active users.
The profitability target and IPO deliberation turn that ad business into a capital-markets question, not just a product initiative. Days later, Telegram reported an oversubscribed $330M bond sale, underscoring that it had financing options short of an IPO.
First-order effects
- Telegram can use its stated advertising revenue and path to profitability to support discussions with potential investors, bondholders, and IPO advisers.
- An IPO remains only under consideration, but the public disclosure puts greater focus on whether Telegram can convert its large user base into durable profits.
Second-order effects
- Advertisers and channel operators gain a stronger incentive to treat Telegram’s public channels as a commercial distribution surface if the company continues scaling its ad business.
- The stated $30B-plus private valuation interest gives Telegram more leverage in choosing between private capital, debt, and a public listing rather than relying on a single financing route.
Third-order effects
- If Telegram sustains profitability, large messaging platforms may increasingly be judged as advertising businesses with public-market potential, rather than solely as user-growth networks.
- A listing would also make monetization, governance, and operational disclosures more consequential for a platform that has remained comparatively private; timing and execution remain uncertain.
The trend: Large consumer messaging platforms are moving from scale-first growth toward monetization models that can support independent financing and eventual public-market access.