Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, recently celebrated his 40th birthday, marking the occasion with the launch of a special edition “Gift” feature on the platform. This celebration also coincided with Telegram’s 11th anniversary. Durov introduced the new limited-edition gift set, which was inspired by the popular BirthdayCollection emoji pack.
The Telegram Gift Edition
The “Gift” set includes three uniquely designed characters aimed at enhancing user engagement during celebrations. Initially announced about a week ago, the feature received a remarkable response from the Telegram community. Within 24 hours of launching the first two limited-edition gifts—500,000 lollipops and 100,000 cherry blossom icons—entire inventories were sold out. Durov expressed surprise at the overwhelming turnout and assured users that the team would implement a system to manage demand for future releases.
Future Developments
Telegram plans to enhance the functionality of the Gift feature further. Upcoming upgrades will allow users to convert their limited-edition gifts into Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) on The Open Network (TON). This feature will enable users to tokenize their digital gifts, offering them the opportunity to trade or auction these assets on external blockchain platforms.
Legal Challenges and Scrutiny
Durov’s 40th birthday comes amid significant legal challenges. He was recently arrested in France over privacy compliance issues, which strained Telegram’s operations. After four days of global pressure, he was released but remains under judicial supervision, with conditions that include a €5 million bail and regular police check-ins.
Telegram is currently under scrutiny in several regions, including India and South Korea. In India, the platform faces a potential ban due to its involvement in a major data leak incident. Despite these challenges, Telegram continues to thrive, showcasing Durov’s resilience and commitment to innovation on the platform.
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