Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced that Telegram had entered a one-year agreement with xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, to integrate the Grok chatbot into the messaging platform.

According to Durov, xAI would pay Telegram $300 million in cash and equity as part of the deal.

The announcement stated that Grok would become available to all Telegram users starting this summer.

Durov also mentioned that Telegram would earn 50% of revenue from xAI subscriptions purchased through the app.

In a video shared on X, Durov demonstrated how Grok could be pinned at the top of chats, used for writing suggestions, summarizing conversations, and creating stickers.

The video suggested Grok could also help businesses and assist with moderation tasks.

Musk Publicly Disputes Agreement

Shortly after Durov’s post, Elon Musk contradicted the announcement with a public statement on X. At 22:29 UTC, Musk responded directly, “No deal has been signed”.

This brief but direct comment disrupted the earlier narrative and cast uncertainty over the proposed integration.

Neither xAI nor Telegram has released a follow-up statement to clarify the conflicting claims.

Toncoin Dives Following Musk’s Response

Following Durov’s announcement, Toncoin (TON), the token associated with Telegram’s blockchain, rose more than 10%, reaching US$3.45.

However, after Musk’s rebuttal, the token dropped sharply by 5% within 30 minutes to US$3.27.

Despite this drop, Toncoin maintained an 8% daily gain. Market sentiment remained fragile as investors reacted to the unclear status of the Grok integration.

Mixed Signals Undermine Market Confidence

The opposing messages from Musk and Durov have raised concerns among investors and users.

Telegram has yet to issue a formal clarification, while the lack of alignment between the two technology figures has triggered doubts about the reliability of the announced partnership.

Traders speculate that if the Grok integration does not proceed, further correction in Toncoin’s price may follow due to waning speculative interest.

PHOTO: UNSPLASH

This article was created with AI assistance.