Telegram founder says the company will become profitable next year | TechCrunch (techcrunch.com)
from clot27@lemm.ee to technology@lemmy.world on 11 Mar 2024 13:09
https://lemm.ee/post/26467271

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 11 Mar 2024 13:10 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that the company expects to hit profitability next year with eyes on going public in the future.

He mentioned that while global investors have offered the company money at a more than $30 billion valuation, Telegram aims to go public in the future.

Telegram launched a Premium subscription two years ago and within months crossed the mark of 1 million paid users.

Durov told FT that ad solutions currently are limited to certain geographies and the company mandates agencies to spend between €1mn and €10mn.

Telegram is looking to expand ad offerings globally this year and also make room for small ticket spenders.

Durov has said in the past that Telegram wants to launch AI-powered chatbots for customer service for business users.


The original article contains 318 words, the summary contains 127 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

clot27@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 13:12 next collapse

Hope they focus more on privacy now.

just_another_person@lemmy.world on 11 Mar 2024 14:05 next collapse

Lol 🤣

clot27@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:08 collapse

whats exactly funny?

just_another_person@lemmy.world on 11 Mar 2024 14:15 collapse

A company eyeing going public will not be putting user privacy at the forefront of their features to file. Also, the very nature of Telegram’s design and infrastructure is less secure than other alternatives, so why even bother with it if you care about privacy? If it’s because “it’s easy”, then acknowledge the downsides, and move on, but they’ll never be able to operate with PFS as it exists now.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:27 collapse

Exactly.

Public makes things worse, not better, because now they’re beholden to stock valuations.

So this means I have a year to finish my self-hosting project which includes my own messaging system (well, not making my own, but hosting one of the available projects, like SimpleX or an XMPP server).

asbestos@lemmy.world on 11 Mar 2024 18:24 collapse

For sure, there’s nothing less valuable than data brokering

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 13:35 next collapse

“eyes on going public”

Well, there’s the death knell. Not that it was awesome to begin with, just a stepping stone to get people away from WhatsApp.

Come on Signal, SimpleX, XMPP!

I struggle to understand why XMPP isn’t the de facto messaging standard around the world, I was using it on my first Android phone in 2009, 15 years ago - and was able to seamlessly message people on computers even then. Granted it was hell on battery back then.

banghida@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:02 next collapse

They already kinda went public with a crypto token scam.

clot27@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:08 collapse

hows that scam lmao

banghida@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:27 collapse

Better question is, how is it not a scam? Lmao

clot27@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 15:30 collapse

the thing is, Ive been using its crypto features for freelancing and everything went smoothly till date (been using it for 1 year). If you term crypto in general is scam, thats different thing

5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 11 Mar 2024 14:05 next collapse

I want a Saved Messages chat with a Planned Messages function in a messenger. AFAIK XMPP doesn’t have that. I have it installed and no one I know uses it, but I’m not going to recommend an app that I’m not using because it is insufficient atm.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 11 Mar 2024 14:25 collapse

No XMPP app has that? I’m kind of surprised. I don’t pay a lot of attention to XMPP apps, though I’ve used them here and there.

Biggest use I find for them today is to integrate with tools like MAXXS, which is OK for some automation with mobile devices. Sort of as a backbone comm channel.

I kind of blame myself - as I said, I was using it years ago, but I never evangelized it with friends/family - I’m not a salesman, and my patience is non-existent for people who are stubborn ostriches.

jackalope@lemmy.ml on 11 Mar 2024 14:32 next collapse

Xmpp is p2p right? So it doesn’t have cloud features like synced message history no?

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 11 Mar 2024 15:40 collapse

No, it’s federated. Like Lemmy. But without ActivityPub, of course, it didn’t exist.

But Diaspora instances usually had XMPP for private messages IIRC.

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 11 Mar 2024 17:20 next collapse

I struggle to understand why XMPP isn’t the de facto messaging standard around the world,

I suspect that normies subconsciously want all popular messaging services to be insecure.

Humans are often self-confident in a bad way about imagined chaos.

So if a service in insecure, then some day (as that dreaming normie thinks) they might “come to darkweb” and find “a hacker” to help them against something bad. After all, that’s how movies show life.

And if a service is secure, then, that normie thinks, it’s either a scam or at least something that movies have not prepared them for. Same with encrypting mail.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 12 Mar 2024 21:53 collapse

I suspect that normies subconsciously want all popular messaging services to be insecure.

Hahah, you have a point, even if it’s a bit hyperbolic.

And if a service is secure, then, that normie thinks, it’s either a scam or at least something that movies have not prepared them for. Same with encrypting mail.

Oh boy, so true.

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 13 Mar 2024 04:51 collapse

Hahah, you have a point, even if it’s a bit hyperbolic.

I thought that it was when I was 16. Now I’m sure that’s the truth by the way they react when you don’t even try to persuade them to use something, just evaluate things fairly.

Not_mikey@slrpnk.net on 11 Mar 2024 17:55 next collapse

Xmpp was designed for ease of federation and simplicity in implementation. Most messaging apps these days are designed, or at least say they are designed, with privacy first. There probably are plugins for xmpp to allow for e2e encryption and contact list and metadata privacy from server admins but that depends on the server and will probably not be as secure as signal. Just as signal can be federated but it’s complex and not really worth it.

There’s a tradeoff between privacy/security and federation/decentralization and most people value privacy and security more.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 12 Mar 2024 21:48 next collapse

I’d say most people here value privacy and security more,and average users value convenience with no understanding of the tradeoff.

And that’s our challenge.

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 13 Mar 2024 04:41 collapse

Your condescending tone would be fine if you knew what you were talking about.

Xmpp was designed for ease of federation and simplicity in implementation. Most messaging apps these days are designed, or at least say they are designed, with privacy first.

XMPP was designed when encrypting metadata wasn’t considered that important (like with mail), and E2EE for actual messages between users was done via PGP or OTR, so didn’t require any support in the protocol itself.

There probably

You should have read at least something about XMPP first, no? Then you’d know something without “probably”.

are plugins for xmpp to allow for e2e encryption and contact list and metadata privacy from server admins but that depends on the server and will probably not be as secure as signal.

First, honest E2EE for messages themselves never requires server support, that’s the whole point of it. As I’ve said before, for that one can use PGP functionality in most normal clients if that’s enough, one can use OTR, but it’s still not fit for usage with multiple devices simultaneously.

Second, XMPP has OMEMO which is basically everything good about security from Signal, just for XMPP. That’s what we usually use today with XMPP, making your comment wrong.

soulfirethewolf@lemdro.id on 11 Mar 2024 18:15 next collapse

Personally with XMPP, I think it’s right now because of the lack of decent looking clients (especially on iOS), as well as a lot of the same friction that people have suffered with mastodon.

Also, Signal is built towards a completely different audience that places privacy first over modern messaging features (things like API’s, sending messages through voice assistants, etc.). And for SimpleX, I’m not really sure if sharing a QR code/link with someone else is the best route to go in UX just to message a friend

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 12 Mar 2024 21:47 collapse

Agreed on all points.

I really, really appreciate what Signal is doing, and used it for a while, had some success converting people, then they dropped SMS support. That killed any ability to get more converts, and existing users left. I keep it around as a fallback for exactly 2 people.

The UI part of this problem is massive, especially initial setup. It’s why SMS is still primary in the US - people can’t be bothered. It’s so frustrating.

It’s also why I’m looking to host my own, with SimpleX in the lead (for now). Since I’ll manage it, I can mitigate that setup/management pain somewhat (at least for family and close friends). Perhaps that’s the way to get the onto something else. I’m also hoping SimpleX will continue to improve the user experience, especially around multiple devices.

I’m still considering messengers, and it’ll be probably end of the year before I do anything.

pop@lemmy.ml on 12 Mar 2024 01:45 next collapse

Well, there’s the death knell.

Like Microsoft, EA, facebook, twitter, reddit right? With the amount of corporate death nerds within their bubble have been predicting, there would be no evil corporations. and yet, here we are.

Stop overestimating when your intuition tells you what’s a death knell.

Not that it was awesome to begin with, just a stepping stone to get people away from WhatsApp.

People can use Signal, XMPP, Telegram and also whatsapp depending on their privacy requirements. Modern smartphones are capable like that.

I used to use scp to transfer files off of remote servers 20 years ago. You don’t see me recommending it every time dropbox gets mentioned. Cool down with self-agrandizing bs.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 12 Mar 2024 21:51 collapse

What self-aggrandizing? Where is this about me?

Going public makes companies beholden to stock valuations, not what the users want. Which means Telegram will be even less useful for privacy and security minded folks.

Just like other public systems, you become the product.

Also, don’t put words in my mouth, and take your condescending attitude and stuff it where the sun don’t shine.

Show some integrity.

clot27@lemm.ee on 13 Mar 2024 13:15 collapse

Well telegram is already profitable with showing minimal ad, and no user data selling. You just can’t make up points that going for IPO will make them less secure, why so much rush? Just wait and watch what happens.

sunbeam60@lemmy.one on 12 Mar 2024 02:31 collapse

One reason Telegram is doing so well is that its clients are just so DAMN good and feature rich.

BearOfaTime@lemm.ee on 12 Mar 2024 21:42 collapse

Yep.

It’s straightforward, just works, on every device. Like messengers did years ago.

Easy to login to a new device and instantly start messaging there, with history - just need a current device to verify you.

It’s why I use it. I’d happily use it for friends and family, if I could get them on board. At least it’s not WhatsApp, or something from Google that will die sometime soon.

sunbeam60@lemmy.one on 12 Mar 2024 22:13 collapse

I’m very lucky that all my friends adopted it - it was one of the few clients that everyone knew of (we are distributed across a lot of countries now; US, UK, France, Brazil mainly).

When I’m forced back to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or iMessage I feel like a race driver being told to ride a bicycle. Telegram’s feature set isn’t just the fullest, it’s also revealed in the best UX, where it somehow manages to be fully decked out but not seem bloaty.

notTheCat@lemmy.ml on 13 Mar 2024 10:03 collapse

It got pretty bloated in recent years with reactions and animated stickers to name a few

sunbeam60@lemmy.one on 13 Mar 2024 10:18 collapse

Myeah, I agree that they’ve added quite a lot of features. But I do think they’re very well hidden, while remaining discoverable. You can use them if you like; if not they don’t get in the way. YMMV of course.

clot27@lemm.ee on 13 Mar 2024 13:11 collapse

The plus point is, telegrams client is open source, so you can always make a client which is less bloated (I am sure there are plenty already in the market).

Treczoks@lemmy.world on 13 Mar 2024 09:17 collapse

And pigs will fly next year, too!