Pavel Durov and TON: A 9-Year Journey from Gram to Gram

Nine years. From December 2017, when Pavel Durov first announced Telegram Open Network, to June 1, 2026, when he restored the native coin’s original name — Gram. Between those dates: the failure of the largest ICO of its time, a $1.7 billion loss, a court battle with the SEC, the abandonment of the project, an unexpected return, an arrest in France, and a comeback.

This piece is the full timeline of Durov’s relationship with TON. Every key decision, every public post, every turn.

2013–2016: prehistory

To understand why Durov created TON, you need the context:

• 2013: Pavel launched Telegram, after losing control of VKontakte
• 2014–2015: the Durovs are forced out of Russia, set up in Dubai
• 2016: Telegram hits 100 million MAU, begins monetization research

By late 2016, the team realizes: Telegram is a platform, and it’s missing a financial layer. Development of an in-house blockchain begins.

2017: birth of Gram

December 2017: Telegram publishes the Telegram Open Network (TON) whitepaper. 132 pages of technical specs. Author — Nikolai Durov, Pavel’s older brother.

Nikolai is a separate, interesting figure:

• Two-time gold medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad (1996, 1997)
• PhD in mathematics (Moscow State University)
• Chief architect of VK, then Telegram
• Creator of the MTProto protocol

The whitepaper described:

• Masterchain + workchains + dynamic shards
• BFT consensus (Catchain precursor)
• Target TPS — millions
• Native coin Gram (named after the unit of weight)

Within Telegram Pavel runs business and legal; in TON Nikolai leads development. That’s the established division of labor between the brothers.

2018: the $1.7 billion ICO

January–March 2018: the Durovs run a private Gram ICO in two rounds. Investors include:

• VC funds: Sequoia, Benchmark, Lightspeed, Andreessen Horowitz (via proxies)
• Russian investors: Roman Abramovich, Mikhail Abyzov (before his arrest), several Russian VCs
• High-net-worth: accredited investors from the US, Europe, Singapore, UAE
• Corporate: Boris Berezovsky’s estate (funds), several hedge funds

Gram price: $0.37 in round one, $1.33 in round two.

Use of funds: TON development, marketing, post-launch liquidity provision.

In this period, Pavel Durov says almost nothing publicly about Gram — all communications go through lawyers and closed investor channels.

2019: the SEC ends it

October 11, 2019 — 8 days before the planned mainnet launch — the U.S. SEC files suit.

Key 2019 milestones:

• October 17: Telegram announces launch postponement
• November 12: first hearing in the Southern District of New York
• March 24, 2020: Judge Castel issues preliminary injunction against Gram

In this period, Durov stays publicly silent. The @durov Telegram channel has zero posts about the Gram case in 2019. The legal strategy — don’t give the SEC more evidence in the form of public statements.

2020: “We have made the difficult decision”

May 12, 2020, Durov publishes the post that will go down in crypto history:

“Today is a sad day for us here at Telegram. We are announcing the discontinuation of our blockchain project. Below is what I wrote about it in May 2018 — and which still rings true today.”

A long post describing:

1. Loss in U.S. court — “one court in one country ruled that we are not allowed to give people access to TON”
2. Inability to operate in the U.S. — “We cannot give the green light to other countries to use a technology that has been deemed unfit for the US users”
3. Goodbye to the project — “Although our team isn’t running TON anymore, we’d love to see TON live on as a project”

The hidden message: Durov signed an NDA as part of the SEC settlement and can’t comment on details. The open-source code is available; someone can pick it up — but Telegram officially walks away.

2020–2023: the era of silence

From May 2020 to late 2023, Durov does not mention TON in @durov. Telegram distances itself from Free TON / TON, doesn’t recommend it, doesn’t make official integrations.

What’s happening behind the scenes:

• 2021: Telegram quietly integrates TON wallets into the messenger as third-party functionality
• 2022: Wallet by Telegram launches officially but is positioned as an “independent product” (in practice — Telegram-controlled)
• 2023: Telegram Premium launches; Stars (internal currency) is added separately from TON

During this period, the TON Foundation (a Swiss non-profit) formally owns the brand, legal rights, and most of the stake. Durov has no public connection.

2024: breaking the silence

February 2024: Durov publicly mentions TON for the first time post-2020, in a post about Telegram Mini App growth:

“We are happy that TON-based mini apps are bringing crypto adoption to millions of Telegram users.”

A careful acknowledgment — Durov doesn’t say “TON is ours,” but doesn’t distance the way he used to.

May–June 2024: the Notcoin / Hamster Kombat wave. Tens of millions of users create TON wallets via Telegram. Durov publicly praises Notcoin’s $30M+ exit.

August 2024 — a dramatic turn: Pavel Durov is arrested in France over inadequate Telegram moderation (terrorism, drug trafficking, child safety). TON drops 18.9% in a day.

Durov spends about 4 days in custody, then stays in France on a €5 million bail. The case drags through 2025–2026.

2025: preparation for return

In 2025, quiet but important events unfold:

• February 2025: the 5-year SEC restriction on the Gram name expires
• March 2025: Telegram formally registers as a Crypto Asset Service Provider in the EU (MiCA compliance for Wallet)
• May 2025: the first “MTONGA” rumors in crypto circles; Durov doesn’t comment
• Summer 2025: Telegram expands its TON Foundation influence via delegated stake
• September 2025: Durov mentions plans for “a major TON upgrade” in an interview

2026: MTONGA

All four of Durov’s public MTONGA posts are short, with no excess explanation:

April 10, 2026: step 1

“The TON blockchain just got upgraded and is now 10× faster. Block rate increased 6×. Transactions are now instant, subsecond. This was step 1 of 7 to Make TON Great Again (MTONGA). Next step: cut the already low transaction fees by 6×.”

Market reacts: TON +15% in 24 hours.

May 1, 2026: step 2

“Fees in TON have dropped 6× — to nearly zero.”

Short, pointed.

May 4, 2026: step 3

“Next step — Telegram replaces the TON Foundation as the driving force behind TON and becomes its largest validator. The focus shifts to tech superiority. New ton.org, new dev tools, new performance upgrades.”

This is the most significant post in all of MTONGA — Durov formally acknowledges Telegram as the primary entity behind TON. Market reaction: +23% in 24h, volume +324%.

June 1, 2026: step 4

“We’re returning to our roots — and starting a new chapter. This is step 4 of 7 to make TON great again.”

Accompanied by the Toncoin → Gram rebrand announcement.

Durov’s communication style

It’s worth noting how Durov writes about TON:

• Short posts — never long-form, always 2–4 sentences
• No hype — no “to the moon,” “huge win,” marketing clichés
• Technical focus — concrete numbers (10×, 6×, sub-second)
• No financial promises — never speaks of price, market cap targets
• Dry tone — different from other L1 founders (Charles Hoskinson, Andre Cronje), whose channels carry more emotion and personal brand

This is strategically rational: fewer chances to fall under SEC “touting” rules (promoting a crypto asset). Durov’s style is deliberately minimal — maximizing message delivery, minimizing regulatory exposure.

Durov’s personal contribution

Exact figures are not published, but you can reconstruct from open sources:

• 2018: the Durovs invested significant personal funds in TON development (estimates of $50–100M via salaries + infrastructure)
• 2020: after settlement, most of that investment was lost
• 2024–2026: through Telegram infrastructure (validator, development), Durov de-facto controls a large TON stake. Exact figures — corporate secret.

Per Forbes’ 2025 estimate, Pavel Durov’s net worth is in the $11–15 billion range, a significant portion via indirect participation in the TON ecosystem.

Conflicts and contradictions

Durov and Free TON / TON Foundation

In 2020–2024, the TON Foundation and Telegram are formally unconnected. The Foundation insists on independence; Telegram keeps distance. From 2024, that distance starts blurring:

• The Foundation coordinated Telegram integrations
• Joint events (Token2049, Devcon)
• Task-sharing in ecosystem development

In 2026, the boundary disappeared: Telegram took operational ownership; the Foundation became a junior partner.

Durov vs free speech vs moderation

A long-standing Durov position is minimal moderation on Telegram. After the 2024 arrest, this shifted: Telegram agreed to expanded cooperation with law enforcement.

This creates a paradox: Durov positions TON as a “free speech blockchain,” but the controlling corporation (Telegram) became “more cooperative” with regulators. Long term, these values may conflict.

Durov and the Russian context

Durov is a Russian citizen (plus UAE, Saint Kitts). Russia blocked Telegram in 2018–2020 and unblocked it in 2020. Russian regulators periodically pressure Telegram but don’t control it.

For TON, this creates ambiguous positioning: Western regulators may see TON as “under Russian influence,” Russian ones as “under Western pressure.” Not a specific threat, but a source of political vulnerability.

What’s next for Durov and TON

After 4 MTONGA steps, 3 remain:

• Step 5: likely deep Gram integration into Telegram products
• Step 6: scaling (L2 or additional shards)
• Step 7: global expansion (bridges, AI agents, partnerships)

Each step is a new public statement from Durov, each a market-moving catalyst. At one-step-per-month cadence, expect MTONGA completion by September 2026.

After that — open question. What does Durov do with TON after 7 steps? Possible scenarios:

• Stays operational lead for a long time (10+ years)
• Gradually returns control to the community (unlikely)
• Uses TON as a launchpad for new projects (new blockchains, web3 apps, AI)

For more, see:

• MTONGA: full 7-step breakdown
• Full circle: Gram 2018 → Gram 2026
• TON Foundation: who runs the blockchain