I left Russia because the government demanded I hand over user data. I would rather leave my country than betray my users.

I funded Telegram personally for seven years. No investors, no board, no compromises. Privacy is not a feature — it is a right.

900 million people use Telegram because they trust us with their conversations. That trust is worth more than any revenue target.

Governments want backdoors into encrypted messaging. We will not build them. Full stop.

I was arrested in France for what my users posted. That is like arresting the postal service for what someone mails.

The internet was built to be decentralized and free. Telegram is one of the last platforms that still believes in that original promise.