Elon Musk’s xAI partners with Telegram in $300M deal to bring Grok chatbot to 1 billion+ users

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is paying Telegram $300 million to bring its Grok chatbot to the messaging platform’s users, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced on Wednesday.

The partnership is set to last a year, with Telegram also earning 50% of all subscription revenue generated from Grok inside the app. Durov described the deal as one that “strengthens Telegram’s financial position.”

“This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market,” he wrote in a post.

The news comes just two months after Grok landed on Telegram, gaining access to over 1 billion users, marking a new era for search and chat.

Musk’s AI Startup xAI to Pay Telegram $300M, Share Revenue in Major Grok AI Push

Telegram recently hit the 1 billion user mark, as confirmed by CEO Pavel Durov in an interview with Business Insider. The company is also planning to raise at least $1.5 billion through a bond offering, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Telegram is especially popular in places like Russia and Ukraine, where it’s widely used by both citizens and government officials.

The deal marks a major distribution boost for Grok, Musk’s AI assistant, as it moves beyond its current home on X. It also gives Telegram a new way to generate revenue without resorting to ads—a model Durov has long resisted.

Still, the news comes at a complicated moment for Telegram’s founder. Durov is facing an investigation in France, where he holds citizenship, over allegations that Telegram has been used for criminal activities, including drug trafficking and child exploitation. After his arrest last August, French authorities barred him from leaving the country without prior approval.

Telegram previously stated on X that it complies with EU laws and said Durov has “nothing to hide.”

Durov, who left Russia in 2014, also holds citizenship in the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is now headquartered.

The xAI partnership comes weeks after Musk folded the AI venture into X Corp. in a move that valued xAI at $80 billion. Grok made headlines earlier this month after it started returning odd and unrelated answers, some referencing “white genocide” in South Africa, raising questions about the model’s safeguards.

xAI attributed the issue to an “unauthorized modification” that went against company policy. “We have conducted a thorough investigation and are implementing measures to enhance Grok’s transparency and reliability,” xAI said in a statement on X.

The incident added fuel to concerns around how easily AI tools can be manipulated. Experts say Grok isn’t the only one at risk—and that vulnerabilities like these are far from rare.

Upsides and Watchouts

Bringing Grok to Telegram could give it a leg up on WhatsApp and Signal. As one user posted, “Grok AI’s move to Telegram spices up the AI scene by supercharging Telegram with smart features.” There’s talk of a wider rollout coming too, which could make the experience smoother across devices.

Still, it’s not all smooth sailing. Some users have flagged possible privacy and security concerns. “Grok’s integration with Telegram introduces potential security risks,” one user warned, highlighting the risk of social engineering attacks given Grok’s convincing responses. There are also questions about how much access Grok will have to user data and whether Telegram will maintain its reputation for protecting user privacy.