Messaging platform Telegram, a prominent social media platform, is poised to exceed one billion monthly active users within a year, according to its billionaire founder Pavel Durov, who described its growth as spreading like “wildfire” during an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson.
Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov. He left Russia in 2014 after declining a government demand to exclude opposition communities from his platform, VK, which he eventually sold.
Durov, whose fortune, according to Forbes, is estimated at $15.5 billion, revealed that some governments have attempted to pressure him. However, he affirmed that the app, currently boasting 900 million active users, should maintain its status as a “neutral platform” rather than becoming a “player on the geopolitical chessboard.”
Telegram ranks below Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat in popularity, yet it wields significant influence in the former Soviet Union countries.
One of Telegram’s primary competitors, Meta’s WhatsApp, boasts over two billion monthly active users. Despite this, Telegram holds significant influence, especially in the former Soviet Union republics, and ranks among the most prominent social networking platforms globally, trailing behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram emerged as the primary source of unfiltered information, often featuring harsh and misleading content from both sides regarding the war and the political dynamics surrounding the conflict.
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