Telegram’s Billion-Dollar Breakthrough: Profitable and Growing

Telegram, founded by Pavel Durov, has reached a major milestone—it’s now making money. In 2024, the platform’s revenue surpassed $1 billion, marking a turning point for the chat app known for its focus on privacy and innovation.

One of Telegram’s key drivers has been its premium subscription service, introduced in 2022, which now boasts 12 million paying users.

Alongside this, the company has grown its offerings for businesses, introduced ad revenue sharing, allowed creators to monetize content through channels, and launched a mini app store to keep users engaged.

Durov also shared that Telegram is ending the year with over $500 million in cash reserves. This doesn’t even include the company’s crypto holdings, which add to its financial stability. He highlighted that they’ve made progress in reducing debt by repurchasing a portion of their bonds, which totaled about $2 billion over the past four years.

While profitability is a huge step forward, Durov acknowledged that more work lies ahead. Earlier this year, he hinted at plans for Telegram to go public in the future. With over 950 million monthly active users, the platform’s growth seems unstoppable.