So how does Telegram make enough money to support unlimited file storage?
- Premium - a monthly subscription that gives some additional gimmicks
- Ads - they sell context-based ads in some large channels
- Crypto - they developed and invest in TON which used to be fully theirs (maybe still is? idk) and it's incorporated in the app
- Paid features inside the app, like you can buy their in-app currency to then use it in bots and whatnots
I think these are the main ways, also their CEO is a billionaire which is supposed to cover the rest of expenses and can gather investors to help.
Edit: sorry I suck at formatting
He'd have kept VKontakte and never done Telegram then.
"Telegram: Russia lifts ban on private messaging app after it 'agrees to help with extremism investigations'"
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/telegram-russia-ban-lift-...
And if you believe what Roskomnadzor said:
"The Telegram messenger has deleted over 256,000 prohibited materials since 2021 to date at requests of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media, the regulator told TASS."
A huge misconception. Telegram was never, is not currently, and will never be entirely open source
You're either (entirely) open source, or you're not. Telegram is not