Telegram has struck a yearlong deal with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, to bring its Grok generative AI tool to the popular messaging platform, CEO Pavel Durov announced Wednesday.
In exchange for integrating Grok across Telegram’s platforms, the company will receive $300 million in cash and equity, along with half of all revenue from xAI subscriptions sold through Telegram, Durov revealed in a post on X.
Grok is expected to launch on Telegram sometime this summer. The agreement also gives xAI direct access to Telegram’s massive user base, which Durov said has surpassed one billion people.
The announcement comes as Durov faces legal pressure in France, where he’s been at odds with authorities over allegations of illegal content on the app. French officials have also accused Telegram of interfering in Romania’s elections. Earlier this month, Durov was blocked by French authorities from traveling to the United States for meetings with investment funds. Durov holds both French and Russian citizenship.
UPDATE: Elon Musk has since responded to Durov’s post on X, stating that the deal has yet to be signed.
