Durov said on his Telegram channel today that the two and a half year blockchain and crypto project has been put to sleep. Ironically, after leaving Russia because the government wanted his encryption keys to his social media firm, Durovβs cryptocurrency idea lost steam because of a U.S. court. βThe technology we created allowed for an open, free, decentralized exchange of value and ideas. TON had the potential to revolutionize how people store and transfer funds and information,β he wrote on his channel. βUnfortunately, a U.S. court stopped TON from happening.β
For some time, Mr. Durov and a few dozen staffers had no fixed headquarters, but rather traveled the world, setting up shop in one city after another, he told the Journal in 2016. The company now has its operational base in Dubai, though it says it doesnβt keep servers there.Mr. Durov maintains a yearslong friendship from his VK days with actor and tech investor Jared Leto, with whom he shares an ascetic lifestyle that eschews meat and alcohol.
