Durov says Telegram will have 1 billion users within a year and will continue to remain neutral

Telegram founder Pavel Durov gave an interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson, during which he said that the messenger could reach 1 billion users within a year. This was reported by Reuters.

He also noted that the messenger, which has more than 900 million active users, aims to remain neutral and not become a “player in geopolitics.”

Earlier, in an interview with Financial Time, Durov also spoke about the importance of remaining neutral when asked about his position on Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Before publishing the interview with Tucker, Durov said on his Telegram channel that he, as the “leader of a politically neutral platform,” is responsible for communicating with journalists representing different political views. He noted that he had previously given a 3-hour interview to a liberal journalist, referring to the FT.

In the same post, he encouraged people to watch interviews with Tucker and even advertised the journalist’s new channel.

“ТThis way I can remain fair to all audiences and tell the story of Telegram to everyone. The interview with Tucker is coming out very soon. It will be in video format, which is quite rare for me — so be sure to check it out,” Durov wrote.

In late March, the Verkhovna Rada registered a bill on Telegram regulation, and earlier the DIU reported that Durov’s platform poses a number of risks to Ukraine’s security.