In a surprising turn, Elon Musk has publicly denied claims of a finalized agreement between his artificial intelligence company, xAI, and Telegram, despite earlier announcements made by Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
Just yesterday, Durov had revealed what appeared to be a major partnership: a one-year deal that would bring Grok—xAI’s AI chatbot to Telegram’s massive user base.
The announcement stated that Telegram would not only integrate Grok across its platform but would also benefit financially, receiving 50% of all xAI subscription sales made through the app. Durov said the deal was valued at $300 million in a mix of cash and equity.
But on Thursday, Musk directly contradicted Durov’s statement. Replying to the Telegram CEO’s post on X (formerly Twitter), the Tesla and SpaceX chief wrote: “No deal has been signed.”
The brief yet clear message sparked confusion online, given the detailed nature of Telegram’s original announcement.
Following Musk’s post, Durov clarified that while the two sides had agreed “in principle,” the final paperwork had yet to be completed. In other words, there’s no formal contract in place — at least not yet.
The news comes at a crucial time for Telegram. Durov’s Grok announcement was posted shortly after reports emerged about the company’s plan to raise $1.5 billion via a new bond issuance.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Telegram will use this funding to buy back debt it issued in 2021. The offering has reportedly attracted high-profile interest from investors such as Citadel, BlackRock, and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala.
For now, the status of the xAI–Telegram partnership remains uncertain. While both parties seem interested, Musk’s statement has made it clear: until the ink is dry, there is no deal.
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