Telegram Monetization: Daily Crunch Report

Telegram is preparing to launch advertisements, ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is expanding into pharmaceutical research, and former President Trump is continuing his dispute regarding Section 230. This is the Daily Crunch for December 23, 2020.

Key development: Telegram plans to implement monetization

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, announced that the messaging application will begin displaying advertisements in the coming year within its public, one-to-many channels. Durov stated on his Telegram channel that the advertising system will be designed to be “user-friendly, respectful of user privacy, and capable of covering the expenses related to servers and data transmission.”

He also mentioned premium stickers as an additional potential revenue stream for Telegram, while assuring users that current features will remain accessible at no cost and that he opposes the inclusion of advertisements in private conversations.

Alongside discussing the company’s strategies for generating revenue, Durov indicated that Telegram is nearing a milestone of 500 million users.

Major technology companies

Nikola’s share price experienced a significant drop following the announcement of the cancellation of its contract with Republic Services for the provision of 2,500 garbage trucks — This represents the latest setback for Nikola as it works to address concerns raised by recent unfavorable reports.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is actively recruiting for a team focused on AI-driven drug discovery — The company stated in a job advertisement, “We are seeking individuals to join our team and conduct advanced research in drug discovery and production utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms.”

Startups, investment, and venture capital

WeRide, a Chinese startup specializing in autonomous driving technology, has secured $200 million in funding — This new investment will facilitate a partnership between WeRide and Yutong, a company with 57 years of experience, to develop self-driving minibuses and city buses.

Voyager Space Holdings is set to acquire a controlling interest in Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial space services — Nanoracks was responsible for the development and installation of the Bishop Airlock on the International Space Station.

Honk has launched a real-time, ephemeral messaging application targeted towards Generation Z — Rather than sending messages and awaiting a reply, Honk enables friends to communicate through messages displayed live as they are being typed.

Insights and analysis from Extra Crunch

Dear Sophie: What can we anticipate for US immigration in 2021? — Sophie Alcorn provides her perspective on the future of U.S. visas and green cards.

Examining the landscape following 2020’s substantial M&A activity — This year witnessed four transactions involving chip manufacturers, collectively totaling over $100 billion.

Looking forward to 2021: Venture capital fundraising, liquidity, and the potential for an economic bubble — Alex Wilhelm’s concluding article of the year.

(Extra Crunch is our subscription service, dedicated to making information about startups more accessible. You can register here.)

Other news

President Trump has vetoed a significant defense bill, citing concerns related to Section 230 — The President has rejected the $740 million National Defense Authorization Act, a crucial bill that allocates military funding annually.

The XRP cryptocurrency experienced a sharp decline in value following the announcement of a lawsuit filed by the SEC against Ripple — The value of the XRP token has decreased by more than 42% in the last 24 hours.

TaskRabbit is initiating a password reset for its customers after detecting ‘suspicious activity’ on its network — The company subsequently confirmed that the activity was the result of a credential stuffing attack, where previously compromised usernames and passwords are used to attempt access to accounts on various websites.

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