[____________g]

I don't understand how Telegram has managed to stay free for 8 (?) years until now. Was there ever a catch? Since the start it has continuously improved to become a feature-packed product that's easy to use, with a pleasant UI.

[karlmcguire]

The most interesting thing about Telegram to me is the development team: about 10 very good engineers who travel with Pavel and work from hotels.

[bilal4hmed]

The founder had been covering the costs

[otachack]

Yep. Summarized, the founder found the Russian equivalent of Facebook, sold it, and started + sustained Telegram with the proceeds.

[cblconfederate]

Which shows the extent to which the mainstream internet is overrun with greed

[tmp538394722]

I mean... He tried to make a bazillion dollars with gram crypto currency, but it failed.