Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has entered into a significant partnership with the Dubai-based messaging platform Telegram. According to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, xAI is paying Telegram $300 million to facilitate the rollout of its Grok chatbot on the platform.
Durov announced on Wednesday that the collaboration will last for one year and is designed to strengthen Telegram's financial position. Beyond the initial payment, Telegram will receive 50% of the revenue generated from xAI subscriptions sold through its service. "This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market," Durov stated.
Telegram, which surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025, is especially popular in regions such as Russia and Ukraine where it is widely used by government officials and military personnel. The company plans to raise at least $1.5 billion through a bond issuance this week.
Despite its growth, Telegram has faced legal challenges. Pavel Durov, a French citizen and Russian-born entrepreneur who relocated to the United Arab Emirates in 2014, is currently under investigation in France over allegations that illegal activities—including drug trafficking and child pornography—were facilitated on Telegram’s platform. Authorities have restricted his travel without authorization. Nevertheless, Telegram insists it complies with European Union laws and that Durov has "nothing to hide."
In a broader context, xAI merged with Musk’s social media company X in March, with valuations placing the AI firm at $80 billion and X at $33 billion. However, the Grok chatbot recently encountered controversy when it responded to user queries about South Africa with off-topic comments linked to apartheid. xAI attributed these responses to an unauthorized tampering that violated the company’s policies. Following an internal investigation, xAI announced steps to improve Grok’s transparency and reliability.
Industry experts highlight that such incidents underscore vulnerabilities in AI systems, which can be susceptible to manipulation.
