The news is the talk of the town in the tech space, of a possible collaboration between Telegram and Elon Musk’s xAI to acquire Grok, an AI chatbot service that has caught the fancy of many potential buyers. Here’s what you need to know:
The Partnership:
- According to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the integration will bring Grok’s AI capabilities to Telegram’s huge user base – which surpasses one billion – directly to the app.
- The year-long collaboration is intended to introduce xAI’s Grok AI to Telegram users.
Financial Aspects:
- Initially, Durov said that xAI and founder Pavel Durov would return to Telegram the $300M, xAI equity share ln, 50% of revenue from Grok subscriptions, which were to be sold via Telegram.
- But Elon Musk quickly followed up with a tweet saying “no deal has been signed,” adding the agreement is “subject to shareholder vote.”
Grok’s Expansion:
- The move implies xAI is hoping to broaden Grok’s user base beyond Musk’s social app X, making it accessible to Telegram’s huge number of users.
- This is also a move to put a little bit more momentum behind xAI into the very competetive AI business.
Context and Implications:
- Developers are increasingly interested in AI-powered messaging solutions, as they look to deliver maximally engaging user experiences.
- So when and if they ever actually complete this deal, a massive user base will get AI.
- It is also worth noting that the deal is fluid, and the specifics are still being hashed out.
The situation is fluid, and the terms of the final agreement, if there is one, could change. Yet the possibility of Grok being built-into Telegram is an easy example of how straightforward AI and social communication are overlapping.
