tl;dr
Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticized Meta-owned WhatsApp as a "cheap copycat," accusing it of copying Telegram's features with delays and launching smear campaigns against Telegram. On May 15, he announced a $50,000 contest running until May 26 to showcase Telegram's superior and original messagi...
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has publicly criticized Meta-owned WhatsApp, labeling it a "cheap copycat" and accusing it of copying Telegram’s features belatedly while launching smear campaigns against Telegram.
On May 15, Durov announced a $50,000 contest running until May 26 aimed at showcasing Telegram’s superior and original messaging innovations. He highlighted features such as channels, editable messages, disappearing chats, advanced stickers, and interactive polls, many of which Telegram introduced years before WhatsApp implemented similar tools.
Durov urged participants to create viral videos demonstrating how Telegram has consistently led in messaging technology and maintained a privacy-first approach. He emphasized Telegram’s strong stance on encryption, refusal to add surveillance backdoors, and its growing popularity within the crypto community.
In his words, “It’s time to wake WhatsApp users up. They’re trapped in the past, using late, watered-down versions of innovations Telegram pioneered long before.” The contest represents a strategic effort to shift public attention and reaffirm Telegram’s role as a true innovator in the messaging space, contrasting with WhatsApp’s vast user base and delayed feature rollouts.