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
To pay the bills, Mr. Durov is issuing investors $1 billion to $1.5 billion of company debt, with the promise of discounted equity if the company eventually goes public, the people briefed on the plans said. He has also announced plans to start selling ads in public Telegram channels as soon as later this year, as well as offering other premium services for businesses and users.
