Leveraging Telegram's 900 million users, how will TON tear off the niche label of blockchain?
Where is the future of blockchain heading towards mass adoption? TON + Telegram provides a realistic answer.
Odaily Planet Daily recently had an exclusive interview with Max Crown, the newly appointed CEO of the TON Foundation. As a seasoned veteran straddling the fields of fintech and regulatory affairs, this CEO, who just took office in April, opened up about the core blueprint for TON's challenge to the mass application of Web3, and for the first time, delved into its integration strategy and future vision with the super-ecosystem of Telegram.
1. Personal Journey and Leadership
Odaily: What attracted you to join TON, and what excites you most about this role?
Max Crown: What attracted me to join TON is its potential to truly bring the next billion users into the crypto world—not just theoretical, but something that can be done in reality. After many years in fintech and regulatory fields, I increasingly noticed a problem: many blockchain platforms have impressive technology, but they are not suitable for ordinary people. TON is different; its integration with Telegram means we can bring blockchain technology into people's daily lives on a large scale. This is truly disruptive—being able to lead such a transformation and solve real problems is what excites me the most.
Odaily: What is the long-term vision for TON under your leadership?
Max Crown: My idea is quite simple: to have everyone using blockchain every day without them even realizing it. Whether it's transferring money, using various digital services, or playing games, it should feel natural. Our ultimate goal is to make TON the underlying infrastructure for the next generation of internet applications—secure, decentralized, and accessible to everyone.
Odaily: What do you think will be the most challenging challenge for the foundation after your joining?
Max Crown: The biggest challenge will likely be how to coordinate between two sides: one being the decentralized open-source developer community, and the other being a more centralized, faster-paced platform like Telegram. But this conflict also brings opportunities—it forces us to improve our coordination methods, making tools like TON Connect more user-friendly, and enhancing the experience for both developers and users.
2. Product and Ecosystem Vision
Odaily: What excites you most about TON/Telegram now and in the future?
Max Crown: Scale. You rarely get the chance to work on an infrastructure that is inherently integrated with a billion-user application. Telegram gives TON the ability to reach users immediately, which completely changes the game. I am particularly excited about how smooth blockchain applications have become—from Mini Apps to Toncoin payments—it's now much easier to bring ordinary users who don't understand cryptocurrency into the Web3 world.
Odaily: What do you envision the "super app" version of Telegram + TON will look like in a few years?
Max Crown: Imagine a world where you don't need to download 10 different apps to manage your finances, purchase digital assets, or access decentralized services. Everything is within Telegram. You can book services, tip creators, trade assets, play games, and transfer money all within a single chat thread. That’s the vision, and I believe we are closer to this reality than people realize.
Odaily: What are some of the most important milestones coming up?
Max Crown: Some key focus areas include expanding the Mini Apps ecosystem, increasing developer incentives, improving the user experience of TON Connect, and launching new workchains to enhance scalability. Of course, we are preparing for significant advancements in the U.S.
3. Strategic Positioning and Growth
Odaily: Looking ahead to June 2025, how would you answer the question: "What makes TON different from other layer one blockchains?"
Max Crown: TON is not just competing to be the best blockchain for crypto-native users; we are building it to serve everyday users globally. This is a fundamentally different approach. Most blockchains focus on capturing the existing Web3 audience. We focus on creating a new audience by embedding blockchain directly into Telegram, which is already used by over a billion people. It’s not just about scale: it’s a combination of distribution, onboarding, and user experience.
Odaily: What is the foundation's current main strategic focus?
Max Crown: Three things: scaling, simplifying, and supporting. We are expanding our infrastructure to match our growth, simplifying onboarding through TON Connect and the Telegram wallet, and expanding developer support through funding, documentation, and ecosystem projects. We want to make it easier for people to build and for users to adopt.
Odaily: Are there any plans to retain the momentum generated by Mini-apps last year?
Max Crown: The momentum comes from results. We have grown from 4 million users to over 40 million users. Now is the time to convert this excitement into sustainable engagement. This means deepening Telegram integration, bringing real-world use cases to market, and maintaining the pace of innovation—not just technically, but also in user experience.
4. Telegram Mini-App Ecosystem
Odaily: What have you learned from the Telegram mini-app craze?
Max Crown: The biggest takeaway is that distribution channels are more important than complex features. Mini Apps have shown us that when developers can directly reach a massive user base—and users can easily engage without complicated operations—the adoption speed can be very fast. That’s why many TON-based applications are developing faster than traditional Web3 applications.
Odaily: How will the deep integration of Toncoin with Telegram drive adoption?
Max Crown: The impact will be significant. When users can earn and spend Toncoin as easily as other digital currencies—within applications they already trust—all barriers are removed. Whether tipping creators or paying for services, Toncoin will become part of everyday interactions, rather than a standalone financial tool.
5. Regulation and Compliance
Odaily: How do you handle regulation and compliance globally?
Max Crown: My thoughts from my time at MoonPay still apply—don’t wait for regulation to catch up; be proactive. This means staying transparent, supporting compliance tools, and maintaining open communication with regulators. Especially in the U.S., the new government has a friendlier attitude towards cryptocurrency, and we are preparing to align with any frameworks that may emerge.
6. Community and Culture
Odaily: Do you have any words for developers and speculators?
Max Crown: To developers: keep building. You are the core force of this ecosystem. We will support you with better tools, improved documentation, and broader distribution channels through Telegram. To those speculating: keep having fun. But remember one thing—we are building something that aims to last long-term.
Odaily: Is there anything else you would like to discuss that we haven’t covered today?
Max Crown: I think one point that people often overlook is that we are not just building a blockchain. We are constructing the infrastructure for the next phase of the internet—a decentralized phase that is truly owned by users and accessible to everyone. And our approach doesn’t require anyone to change their current app habits. No need to learn new things, adapt, or deal with complicated operations. We are creating truly user-friendly cryptocurrency. That’s the charm of TON.
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