Pavel Durov intends to deeply integrate the TON cryptocurrency into Telegram
Durov was admired by the success of the TON Foundation and stated that by having Telegram's user base, the cryptocurrency could achieve more.
He also described scenarios like the transfer of @username's using smart contracts in cryptocurrency, as well as the creation of stickers and emojis, which would form a market based on TON.
Back in 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission banned the issuance of TON. Consequently, Telegram officially disowned the platform, and stopped participating in its development.
After a while, the TON Foundation was announced which has no official ties to Telegram, but apparently in a close alliance. A community of enthusiasts continues to develop TON and has plans to circumvent the SEC ban. Telegram intends to integrate TON in a way that looks like the TON team independently provides its services under a partnership.
Judging by the reaction of users to the post, most users do not appreciate the addition of the Web 3.0 philosophy into Telegram. It was even proposed earlier to integrate NFTs, to which the audience also reacted negatively.
Originally, TON was an attempt to monetize Telegram. Given that the messenger now has an advertising platform and paid subscriptions, it's hard to say how ready Pavel Durov is to go against the interests of users for the sake of another source of income.
Update: (Perhaps) due to the high number of negative reactions (around 30K), reactions were turned off in Durov's channel.
