Consultants and AI: Missing the Entire Point of Smart Software in a Blue Chip Firm
February 13, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I got a chuckle out of “McKinsey Says It Has 25,000 Agents. Its Rivals Say That’s Not a Metric of Success.” My hunch is that neither Business Insider or its writer have substantial experience working for a blue chip consulting firm. Before I reveal what makes these multi-billion dollar money machines work is not what is spelled out in the write up.
The image shows a typical lunch at Traveler restaurant in Manhattan near Park Avenue and 45th. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
I want to point to this passage:
Newman [Ernst & Young’s global engineering chief] said EY is more focused on measuring efficiency. He said EY tracks agent value through key performance indicators for productivity, quality, and cost.
Okay, that is one push back for McKinsey touting it agent count.
Here’s a second snip from the article:
AI has rapidly reshaped the consulting industry in recent years. McKinsey, EY, PwC, and other consulting firms are all racing to both adopt AI internally and position themselves as the go-to for other companies seeking advice on how to do the same.
Okay, that a generalization, and for the blue chip outfits with which I am familiar, it is 100 percent incorrect.
What is the write up missing? A focus on the marketing value of AI.
My view is that blue chip consulting firms care about profitable engagements. The metric that carries weight at a blue chip consulting firm is billable hours. AI is a means to engagements. The more hype and razzle dazzle and fear-uncertainty-doubt that one can engender about a disruptive or potentially catastrophic meteor strike, the more firms with sufficient cash will hire the blue chip outfits to help assuage leaderships’ fears.
If AI allows a blue chip firm to reduce headcount and the engagements generate bounteous revenue, AI is a winner. If AI increases competitive advantage, it is a winner. If AI reduces costs and steps up the amount of knowledge work a consultant can do, it is a winner.
The number 25,000 is a sale hook. A potential client or an existing client will ask, “Hey, what are some of those agents?” Bingo. Proposal opportunity or better yet, a scope change to an existing engagement’s contract.
What about the Ernst & Young rejoinder. It is marketing. McKinsey is missing the point. The EY position is that it has the right measure. I think the reality at accounting firms that rebranded themselves as blue chip consultants is wrong. First, EY does not want to get hauled into court and get the Enron treatment. Remember, Arthur Andersen. EY’s leadership does. Second, EY has to use AI in order to reduce its fees for bean counters who often do things pecking away in Excel. I acknowledge that McKinsey has to dodge legal bullets for some of its pharma related insights. But accounting firms are on the radar of tax authorities 24×7 if the gossip I hear is accurate.
The true blue chip firms are about one thing: Money. Partners want to get rich. Staff cut into the bonus pool. Accounting firms have to avoid legal problems and generate profits. Keep in mind that I am a dinobaby. Accounting firms that are also consulting firms are different from blue chip consulting firms that hire accounting firms.
AI is a marketing tool. The outputs are marketing collateral and essentially valueless but for causing the phone to ring.
Stephen E Arnold, February 13, 2026
Chinese DRAM: Probably Nothing to Worry About. Absolutely.
February 13, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
My Overflight system displayed a short write up in the Russian online publication iXBT. I think it might be important. On the other hand, it may not be “real” news at all. You can make your own decision. “The Chinese Have Shaken the Market by Releasing a 32 GB RAM Module at a Price Three Times Lower than the Market Price. Shares of Leading Companies Fell” reports:
The Chinese company Changxin Memory has released 32 GB DDR4–3200 ECC memory modules at a «reduced» price of $138, which is only about one-third of the current international market price of $300–400.
What’s the big deal about lower prices? For some stakeholders, the idea of low cost DRAM is irrelevant. These folks, of course, don’t track the revenue generated by Alibaba (a Google “partner”?) and Temu. Some people do. I would hazard a guess that some people in South Korea and a couple of other countries do think that low-cost DRAM is reasonably important.
Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough. Not throngs, but you tried.
The write up says:
This low-price move immediately caused panic in the market. Among them, the hardest hit were DRAM industry giants Winbond Electronics and Nanya Technology, whose shares fell 9.05% and 5.61% respectively on the day. In addition, share prices of Phison Electronics, Pinnacle Technologies, Crystal Technology, Chipone Technology, ADATA Technology, Apacer Technology and Huadong Technology fell more than half their daily peak, signaling severe panic in the sector.
My auto-translation system spit out “severe.” That seems strong to me.
The news items concludes:
Behind these market fluctuations are structural changes in the global memory market. With demand for artificial intelligence computing power exploding, the global memory market entered a new supercycle, and prices for related products rose sharply by the end of 2025, disrupting production plans for many electronic products in 2026. Against this backdrop, major Chinese memory manufacturers such as Changxin Memory and Yangtze Memory are accelerating their expansion and taking advantage of market opportunities.
Is this a big deal? Will DRAM customers buy lower cost random access memory? Probably nothing to worry about. Absolutely.
Stephen E Arnold, February 13, 2026
Telegram and AI: Can Claude Help?
February 13, 2026
Another item about Telegram and its management methods.
Telegram’s developers watching Claude pumping out smart contracts and other code. Claude is Anthropic’s AI generative chatbot released a new CoWork tool that allows them to vibe audit smart contracts. Smart contacts are blockchain-based programs that carry out agreement terms when the conditions are met. The messaging platform been around for over a decade and are used everyday to everything from messages to crypto. One can follow developments in Iran and Ukraine with a click or two.
Protos has more of the details in the story, “Claude AI Plugins Can Now Vibe Code Smart Contracts.” Vibe auditing is similar to vibe coding and relies on AI to code the bulk of the labor. Developers can “outsource” work to Claude by activating its “skills” and asking it to complete code. It works like this:
“In today’s new age of crypto security, developers can simply activate so-called “skills” in Claude to outsource auditing work to an assortment of cybersecurity tools. For example, one Claude skill will ostensibly check specification-to-code compliance with blockchain audits. ‘Use this skill when you need to audit smart contracts against whitepapers or design documents,’ says a Trail of Bits whitehat hacker about their spec-to-code compliance skill.”
Developers can also use Claude skills to check variants of smart contract bugs using pattern based analysis. If a variant doesn’t exist that doesn’t mean there isn’t a bug. The developer might not have shared that code. A lot of Claude code is available via the Claude code marketplace.
One question: Has Telegram provided AI-centric tools to help its developers with the proprietary Telegram programming languages? I wonder if Telegram has been distracted from AI because of the impending trial of its founder Pavel Durov. He is the self-proclaimed GOAT or greatest of all time Russian technologists.
AI can be a useful tool for creating smart contracts. Will Telegram respond, or is it, like Apple, now in a defensive posture?
Whitney Grace, February 13, 2026
μ-Note: Telegram Faces Escalating Pressure in Russia
February 12, 2026
Another item about Telegram, the billion user messaging service, platform, and Swiss Army knife for smart contracts.
Reuters published a brief news item in its feed. The title tells little about the iceberg below: Russian Court Fines Telegram Messaging App 11 Million Rubles, RIA says." Click here for the source document Note: RIA is an acronym for RIA Novosti, owned by Rossiya Segodnya. RIA is a news agency.
As fines go, the amount is modest. The 11 million rubles is about US$140,000. As a signal, the action is similar to a ship’s fog horn. Future hearings are allegedly going to be held about Telegram, its services, and its direct actions.
This horn sounds when Telegram is limiting certain Messenger-based services, and Russia’s active promotion of the state-developed MAX Telegram alternative. Roskomnadzor appears to enforce its laws against foreign platforms. Telegram is a cross jurisdictional organization operating from Dubai and coffee shops in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Russia wants to demonstrate that it has regulatory leverage over Pavel Durov’s firm.
The fines for Telegram’s perceived failure to cooperate with Russian authorities.
Bottomline: Russia is escalating its actions toward Telegram. Based on its founder’s past philosophical statements, compromise may be difficult in public. Behind closed doors, Mr. Durov’s operation might be more flexible. This Russian legal action comes as Mr. Durov awaits trial in France for a number of alleged serious crimes.
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2026
Big Tech and Age Verification: Now What, People?
February 12, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I have a couple of people on my team who reacted in an interesting way to this question: “How long would it take you to get around the age verification required in Australia?” Howard, just snorted. Stuart thought a moment and said, “A couple of minutes, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.” My team is not in its teens. But I know that there are some pre-teens, teens, and teens going on 28 years old who know how to subvert age verification systems.
Proud parents watch as Bill creates a social media account for Timmy, his younger brother. Mom and dad watch with pride because the siblings are interacting in a positive manner. Thanks, ChatGPT, good enough.
How many of these can you work around?
- ID via facial recognition using one’s real face just aged or use an older sibling’s face
- Use an adult’s user name and password
- Create alias accounts with new emails
- Rely on VPNs and related methods
- Pay an older person to register and set up an account.
Three separate news reports suggest that the US big tech outfits and outfits like Telegram will have to find a way to implement age verification systems that mostly work and don’t violate other laws. Otherwise, certain firms will lose access to customers in France, Greece, and Spain. These countries probably have a regulator or two eager to fine the US social media companies, go through the legal processes, issue fines, and then check their bank accounts. Deposits in the tens or hundreds of millions in dollars or other fiat currency are easy to spot.
Here are the three reports:
VPNs are next on my list – France set to evaluate VPN use following social media ban for under-15s
Greece to soon announce social media ban for children under 15, government source says
Spain, Greece weigh teen social media bans, drawing fury from Elon Musk
My team and I think that other countries in the EU will jump on the bandwagon. I am not sure the mental health of those under 16 is the only motivation for this requirement. Anti-US big tech sentiment reaches me in rural Kentucky. My hunch is that it extends to Silicon Valley as well. A crusade against the US may become a way to win re-election or snag a lucrative advisory job in some countries. Plus, there is what I called the “Kaching factor.” That’s the notional sound of issuing a big fine and ringing the cash register for the regulator bring an action against a US company.
If the age verification movement gains steam, the US social media companies will have to do some actual innovation in their age verification departments. Solutions to this problem are fraught with booby traps. These range from ease of use to security issues. Also, US big tech companies don’t want to lose access to these youthful users. Translation: The ad dollars are too significant.
Observing how the US tech companies respond will be fascinating. I look forward to verbal statements, legal battles, and direct violations. My view is that there is no perfect fix, just rising risk and costs. With everyone embracing AI, why not just use smart software. Yeah, that will work.
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2026
When Humans Edit AI Outputs: Differences Manifest Themselves It Seems
February 12, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Americans don’t think much about Canada. I try to follow interesting content. I ignore the country in which the documents or information originates. I spotted a quite interesting report about Canada’s AI assisted research about smart software. But what makes the write up fascinating is that a person named Michael Geist pumped the same content through AI systems and noted some differences.
Do humans make a difference? Do AI systems get thing straight? I cannot recycle the entire quite good essay. You can read “An Illusion of Consensus: What the Government Isn’t Saying About the Results of its AI Consultation” yourself and form your own opinions. I want to hit a few highlights and then offer a handful of observations. (Hey, what do you want from a free blog?)
Thanks, MidJourney. Good enough.
For set up, the “old” industry Canada has been rejiggered to include smart software. The entity is called Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada or ISED. The agency conducted what it called the “largest public consultation in the history of ISED” to learn what the AI sentiment and use cases were in Canada.
Mr. Geist downloaded the data and let AI reach conclusions. He learned:
It [the report] would still have benefited from some additional perspectives, but the resulting reports suggest that the experts took their mandate seriously and provided candid, action-oriented advice on developing a national AI strategy.
What were the key differences?
- “the expert reports consistently argue that Canada’s AI challenge is not about research excellence or talent creation, but rather execution.” Mr. Geist noted: The official report downplays the risks of AI.
- “the expert reports frame as a strategic variable in which countries that move faster lead, while those that hesitate are left to regulate what others have built; that is, the Canadian government is not moving fast with regards to AI. Geist said that the Canadian government softened the idea about its dragging its feet.
- “The government summary refers indirectly to the access to capital challenges without digging into the political choices.” Mr. Geist points out that the Canadian government does not want to highlight a lack of investment capital for AI.
The most important “divergence” between the two analyses relates to trust. Here’s the passage from Mr. Geist’s review:
Perhaps the most important divergence comes from the issue of trust and safety. This was a major concern from the public responses and the government is likely headed toward making AI governance, audits, transparency, and risk-based regulation key elements of its AI strategy. Yet there is far less consensus in the expert reports. Just about everyone agrees that trust is essential for AI adoption, but the implementation of regulation draws different views. Some want to move quickly, while others warn that overly broad regulation will slow deployment, disadvantage domestic firms, and regulate technologies Canada does not control. Those disagreements largely disappear in the government’s summary, where trust is presented as a settled consensus objective, rather than a contested policy domain with real trade-offs.
My observations are:
- Government entities don’t want to look bad; therefore, sanding and smoothing is to be expected
- The lack of funding strikes me as a novel finding because without money who can innovate without access to AI compute, people, and the other oddments that require that some big tech companies pour billions into their systems to facilitate their own innovation
- I was surprised that Mr. Geist gave the Canadian government a reasonably good review.
Interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2026
Another Google Blockchain Move
February 11, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Google is busy in court explaining that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a cow. I want to focus briefly on another Googley blockchain move. The company has a tie up with Alibaba, and it has some other interesting deals under its belt. I learned this morning (February 11, 2026) from the crypto centric online information service The Block’s article “Citadel and Ark Invest Back LayerZero As It Launches Blockchain, Partners with Google Cloud and DTCC” headline can be tough to figure out without some crypto jazziness. Let’s tackle the wild and crazy crypto kid lingo:
- Citadel is a hefty U.S.-based multi-strategy hedge fund, and it has been around for about 35 years
- ARK Invest is a U.S.-based investment management outfit whipped up by Cathie Wood, who likes disruptive investing
- LayerZero Labs created a system for connecting chains that process crypto transactions and supports smart contracts on one blockchain interacting with another blockchain’s smart contracts. (Do fraud investigators find these functions helpful?)
- A blockchain is a database; that is, a distributed record book that many computers share and update together. (The idea is that it is hard to fiddle information written to a blockchain.)
- Google is an online advertising system with some side interests such as crypto
- DTCC is Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. It is a back office service provider that provides clearing, settlement, custody, and record-keeping services for securities transactions
Google explains that if it looks like a duck, it is definitely a cow. Thanks, Venice.ai.
Putting together the crypto bro words, the cross chain operator LayerZero is going into the blockchain business. Now what’s the Google doing with this outfit and some investor types? The write up says:
"As AI agents start to become economic actors, the programmability of cryptocurrencies and blockchains will require infrastructure as reliable as the cloud itself," Google Cloud’s Head of Web3 Strategy Richard Widmann said. "LayerZero is rethinking how blockchains work from the ground up. By pairing their expertise with our infrastructure, we are exploring how to expand the definition of the internet to include value."
Okay, the Google Cloud is semi clear. This is essentially remote computing services with that extra Google cleverness. Google offers Amazon and Azure type of cloud services. It can do some cloud security. It can process lots of data and train its “personalized” AI “experiences.” It can provide inputs to lawyers who do the “it’s not a duck. It is a cow” arguments in a courtroom. It can do advertising stuff.
Web 3 is a bit of marketing play. Web 1 was Yahoo. Web 2 was Facebook. Web 3 is crypto (with no single outfit owning the market yet). When I think of Web 3, it interpret the jargon to mean Web3 is a fantasy Internet in which users, not just platforms, own and move crypto using blockchain technology.
My interpretation of the Google wizard’s comment is in simple terms: A market which Google eventually wants to dominate like online advertising.
Is this important? For Google, the answer is, “Yes.” Google is obviously in the crypto game. Google likes to win. Ducks are cows.
You ask, “Why?”
The same reason that Telegram has been trying quite diligently to become the preferred platform for global crypto transactions. Telegram has taken some short cuts. The Google is just doing what Google does. It lines up its moves in the money chess game and starts pushing pieces around. The idea is to checkmate the opponent and, of course, win the game.
Therefore, the Block story and the quote from the Googler is important.
Stephen E Arnold, February 11, 2026
ZSearch: Quite a Marketing Pitch
February 11, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I read “AI-Powered Enterprise Search: How ZSearch Redefines Organizational Knowledge Discovery.” The author is “Blitz.” Here is Blitz:
Blitz is a guest posts agency. The agency like categorical affirmatives. I counted them. There are 14 of them in the 860 word write up about ZSearch. A categorical affirmative is a word like all, every, always, and only. But that’s not all, I stuff the full text into one of my handy dandy word analysis tools and learned that 251 words qualified as marketing jargon and jingoisms. Yep, one third of the write up is puffery. That means that the host for the shaped content is pushing squishy information to an adoring group of AI content scrapers. And who is the “host”? It is something called Nerdbot.com. I don’t know much about this entity, and I assume they have the reader’s interest front and center.
What is ZSearch? From my point of view, a search and retrieval company with AI. Its marketing department, I would guess, has access to one of the online AI systems. The jargon density is first class. One would have to index and parse every output from Autonomy, Endeca, Fast Search & Transfer, and the other outfits that were trying to generate excitement for a search system for the enterprise.
Guess what? The marketing collateral was generally better than the performance of the enterprise search engine.
I think the optimal way to describe what ZSearch does to differentiate itself is to look at the jargon. Here’s an alphabetical list of the terms I extracted. Just scan the list and you will get a reasonable idea of what a customer can expect:
AI-Assisted Project Workspaces
AI-Driven / AI-Powered
Centralized Search Experience
Cloud Platforms
Compliance Standards
Context-Aware
Continuous Indexing
Conversational Search
Deterministic Outcomes
Distributed Data Sources
End-to-End Source Traceability
Enterprise-Grade
Hybrid Retrieval Model
Information Retrieval
Intelligent Enterprise Search
Knowledge Discovery
Knowledge Management
Metadata Extraction
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Organizational Silos
Real-Time Synchronization
Scalable Architecture
Semantic Intelligence / Semantic Understanding
Traceability
Unified Access
User Intent
Workflows
After reading the write up, I had some questions; for example, What’s the security approach? How does one update the “index” to handle new terms or bound phrases? What’s the cost? What is the latency between discovery of new content and its availability to a user?
Should you license ZSearch? That’s up to you. Navigate to this location: https://zbrain.ai/zsearch/. You will discover an agent store and much more. ZSearch is a unit of ZBrain. The Web site doesn’t name the president or chief technical officer. It does not point out that ZBrain in Atlanta was acquired first by LeewayHertz. Then the Hackett Group purchased LeewayHertz. As far as I know, ZBrain and its ZSearch are part of the The Hackett Group (NASDAQ: HCKT). Its share price, according finance.google.com on February 7, 2026, appears to be $16.17 per share.
Enterprise search is tricky. Superlatives are easy to put in a marketing write up. They are tough to deliver in other settings.
Stephen E Arnold, February 11, 2026
Now You Are Trained in AI. What Is Next?
February 11, 2026
![green-dino_thumb_thumb[1]](https://www.arnoldit.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/green-dino_thumb_thumb1.gif "green-dino_thumb_thumb[1]")
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I am assuming that you have [a] watched some YouTubes about smart software, [b] you have read articles online, [c] you fooled around with free or low cost large language models, and [d] you dug into a specific use case and made it work (more or less). Are you an AI adept? Tip: Not too many people will doubt your expertise. That’s good news, right?
Now the bad news: You have to learn more. I will come back to the “more” at the end of this essay. First, however, I want to take a quick look at a write up called “Beyond Giant Models: Why AI Orchestration Is the New Architecture.” Spoiler: You better be good at life-long learning.
The write up says:
AI is having its microservices moment.
I think this means that the “old” single large language model that knocks out high school essays for cheating teams doesn’t work for some other real life applications. Therefore, developers want to “break down” LLMs or take pieces of LLMs, hook them together, and do the 1 + 1 = 3 calculation beloved by power thinkers, techno-whiz kids, and MBAs who want to buy an island. (There is one available, I believe, complete with tacky decor and trash in plastic boxes.)
The write up continues by identifying and explaining the AI stack; that is,
- A model layer (what you have learned)
- The tool layer (what you are, I assume, now learning)
- The orchestration layer (what you absolutely have to learn tomorrow).
A life long guitar player faces his first audition for a job at a symphony orchestra. The young guitar player, who is an adept at K pop music knows he has to get symphony experience before he can become the next Lenny Bernstein. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
So what do you need to master tomorrow? That’s the orchestration thing. You must become adept at:
- Sequential logic or the chain pattern. This is the type of orchestration that leads to thinking about putting big money into data centers the need for which may be reduced by to-be innovations.
- Retrieval first logic or the old-school search – and – retrieval “utility” of machine – generated indexing, automated tokenization, and smart manipulation
- Delegation logic. The idea is that software will make little components (the microservice analogy) work like one big, smoothly functioning, smart application.
The author sums these consultant-crafted statements with this observation:
AI orchestration represents a maturation of the field….The future of AI isn’t in finding the perfect model. It’s in learning to conduct the orchestra.
Nice concept. Learn an instrument. You’re good. Six months of lessons, form a rock bank, and play high school parties. Now you want to play in a big time band. You move to Nashville. You hang out. You play free gigs. Someone in the bar says, “Come by and meet a couple of people.” You go. The fellow’s “people” say, “Yeah, our guitar guy is not available. Want to sit in?” You sit. You play and get some money. Maybe $50 or $100 (after you pay for your burger and sparkling water)? You do this a year, two, possibly three. You have met people. You do fill ins. You hear that the local symphony wants to do a chamber concert thing featuring the music of Andrés Segovia. You show up. You do your thing. You get picked to participate but just sort of background strum along. You practice. You do gigs. You hook up with a local K-pop and digital native group. You tour in Arkansas and Alabama. You hear that the Delta Symphony Orchestra in Jonesboro, Arkansas, needs a conductor. You read The Art of Conducting Technique by Keith Wilson. (Actually you memorize it because the life of a guitar player riding a bus with the K Pop digital native folks is very draining. You get the job. You have health insurance. You can pay down your credit card. You can think about maybe marrying Mary Jones, the country music singer you dated when you first moved to Nashville. You have a life. Jonesboro is THE place. You look back on the 13 years required to become an orchestra leader.
Read the write up about software orchestration. Then consider the analogy and my summary of a life long learner’s journey. Easy. No problems. Just do it. Also, I have a bridge for sale right outside of Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. Buy it. You can make millions. AI, becoming a conductor, making big money running a toll bridge. Just apply yourself.
Stephen E Arnold, February 11, 2026
Telegram Gets a Note with Bad News from Roskomnadzor
February 10, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
The Kyiv Independent published "Russia Restricts Telegram in Latest Push to Tighten Internet Control." According to the cited article,
"Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, began restricting the operation of Telegram on Feb. 10, targeting one of the country’s most widely used messaging platforms, the regulator said. The move fits into the Kremlin’s broader push to replace Western digital services with domestic alternatives as it advances plans for a so-called "sovereign internet," tightening state control over online communications."
Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor has moved to restrict Telegram’s operations, with measures described as partial limitations rather than a full block. Russia has promoted state-aligned domestic messaging alternatives intended to reduce reliance on foreign platforms.
Telegram has over a billion users worldwide. Telegram’s largest concentrations of users are reported in Russia, Eastern Europe, South Asia, and parts of the Middle East. Telegram has been taking steps to increase the number of users in the United States.
The Kyiv Independent states:
"A full-scale crackdown on Telegram could present challenges for the Kremlin, as Russian state-aligned media outlets rely heavily on the platform, where many have amassed millions of subscribers."
Russia offers Max, a Telegram-like service with benefits to the government; namely, no dancing with Pavel Durov when information about a topic or a person of interest is deemed necessary.
It is too early to determine how Telegram, its users, its Russia-based service providers, its contractors, and the companies who use Telegram for sales and customer service will react.
Telegram has been adjusting to the uncertain outcome of the French judiciary’s criminal charges levied against Pavel Durov. A trial is expected in France sometime in 2026, but the wheels of the French court system can turn more slowly. Adding to the stress upon Telegram has been the slow, steady decline of the "value" of the TONcoin. Other U.S.-centric initiatives have faced financial headwinds, stalling Mr. Durov’s "we are coming to America" assertion in 2025.
The Russian action adds uncertainty to the Telegram ecosystem. Founded in 2013, Telegram sailed in relatively calm waters until the French judiciary’s arrest of Mr. Durov. But Telegram has been able to operate despite regulatory pressure in multiple jurisdictions, but the recent legal actions in Europe represent a different category of risk. Russia’s action, which may not deter die-hard Telegram users, suggests that 2026 may be another year clouded by uncertainty.
Stephen E Arnold, February 10, 2026
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