Overview

• Durov said he bought several thousand bitcoin in 2013 at about $700 each and held through major price declines.
• He described Telegram as a money-losing effort for him personally and said long-held BTC financed expenses such as private flights and rentals.
• His thesis cites censorship resistance and protection from confiscation, alongside concern over governments expanding the money supply.
• He recapped that Telegram built TON in 2018–2019 but could not launch it due to U.S. regulatory restrictions, after which it continued independently as The Open Network.
• TON is now integrated across Telegram through wallet mini-apps, Toncoin-based ad payments and revenue sharing, and heavy NFT activity, with wallet functionality expanded to the U.S. in July 2025.