Telegram’s Founder Boasts Of User Growth & Attacks WhatsApp
WhatsApp is currently the world’s largest messaging app. However, its position is slowly being challenged by Telegram. According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the platform is closer to WhatsApp as it now boasts more than 1 billion active users.
Telegram getting closer to WhatsApp
For context, WhatsApp has 2 billion active users. Telegram’s latest figures mean that the company is still 1 billion users shy of catching up to WhatsApp. It will probably take them a while, but Durov seems optimistic. The founder noted that Telegram pulled in $547 million in profits last year.
He also took a shot at WhatsApp, calling it a “watered-down imitation” of Telegram. In an update on his Telegram channel, Durov was quoted as saying, “Ahead of us stands WhatsApp—a cheap, watered-down imitation of Telegram. For years, they’ve desperately tried to copy our innovations while burning billions on lobbying and PR campaigns to slow us down. They failed. Telegram grew, became profitable, and—unlike our competitor—retained its independence.”
According to Statista’s latest figures, China-based WeChat is the second largest mobile app in the world, with around 1.38 billion users. Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat follow in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
Telegram controversies
That said, Telegram is not without controversy. In the past, critics have accused it of spreading misinformation and hosting extremist content. Researchers have also found its algorithms push users toward extremist content, even when they had no intention of seeking it.
Lastly, Telegram has been accused of hosting CSAM. Note that Telegram doesn’t actually host it themselves, but rather it allows users to create channels, which in turn post and host such content. However, authorities arrested Durov in 2024 and charged him with “enabling various forms of criminal activity on Telegram.”
Telegram has since made some changes following its founder’s arrest. For starters, it joined the Internet Watch Foundation—a group that identifies and removes CSAM. It also announced it will share IP addresses and phone numbers of offenders with law enforcement agencies when legally required to do so.
