textrmessenger

I agree with everything you said and I think protecting users versus monetizing is a fine line that every field has to work with.

I think that is a good point. For start-ups who are interested in making messaging services, I wonder what Durov's recommendation would be as far as financials go. One has to be able to support the team they are working with and there are few people out there who can take the route Durov has due to his financial freedom.

I think the key thing here is that Durov has the money from selling stock in his previous company (12% w/valuation of 3-4 billion) which means he can afford to pay to support the app in the meantime without any external financial help. I do think there are different ways to monetize messaging outside of pushing advertisements into people's face or selling information and third-party paid apps are a good option.

In that regard I think the title is misleading: Durov plans to make money through the app eventually, just not through selling people's information or push advertising.