Exclusive interview with the new CEO of the TON Foundation, Max Crown: Major moves may happen in the United States.

Written by: jk

Where is the future of blockchain heading towards large-scale adoption? TON+Telegram provides the most realistic answer.

Odaily Planet Daily recently had an exclusive interview with Max Crown, the new 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 not only the core blueprint for TON's challenge to large-scale Web3 applications but also provided an in-depth analysis of its integration strategy and future prospects with Telegram, this super ecosystem.

1. Personal Journey and Leadership

Odaily: What made you join TON, and what excites you the most about this role?

Max Crown: What attracted me to join TON is its ability to truly bring the next billion users into the crypto world—not just in theory, but in a tangible way. I have worked in fintech and regulation for many years and have increasingly discovered a problem: many blockchain platforms have impressive technology, but they are simply not suitable for ordinary people to use. TON is different; its integration with Telegram means that we can bring blockchain technology into people's daily lives on a large scale. This is truly disruptive—being able to lead this transformation and solve real problems is what excites me the most.

Odaily: What is the long-term vision of TON under your leadership?

Max Crown: My idea is actually very simple: to let everyone use blockchain every day without even knowing they are using it. Whether it's transferring money, using various digital services, or playing games, it should feel very 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 is the most difficult challenge the foundation faces after you joined?

Max Crown: The biggest challenge should be how to coordinate between two sides: on one hand, the decentralized open-source developer community, and on the other hand, platforms like Telegram that are more centralized and operate at a faster pace. However, this conflict has actually brought opportunities - forcing us to improve our coordination methods and make tools like TON Connect more user-friendly, enhancing the experience for both developers and users.

2. Product and Ecological Vision

Odaily: What excites you the most about TON/Telegram now and in the future?

Max Crown: Scale. You rarely have the opportunity to work on an infrastructure that inherently integrates a billion-user application. Telegram provided TON with the ability to reach users instantly, which completely changes the game. I am particularly excited that blockchain applications have become so smooth—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 think 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 apps to manage your finances, purchase digital assets, or access decentralized services. It's all within Telegram. You can book services, tip creators, trade assets, play games, and transfer money all within a single chat thread. This is 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 progress in the United States.

3. Strategic Positioning and Growth

Odaily: Standing at June 2025, how would you answer the question: "What is the difference between TON and 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 new audiences by embedding the blockchain directly into Telegram, which has been used by over a billion people. It is not just about scale: it is a combination of distribution, onboarding, and user experience.

Odaily: What is the current main strategic focus of the foundation?

Max Crown: Three things: scalability, simplification, and support. 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: Is there any plan to sustain the wave of enthusiasm brought by the Mini-app last year?

Max Crown: The power comes from results. We have grown from 4 million users to over 40 million users. Now is the time to turn this excitement into sustainable engagement. This means deepening the Telegram integration, bringing real-world use cases to market, and maintaining the pace of innovation—not only in technology 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 realization is that distribution channels are more important than complex features. Mini Apps show us that when developers can directly reach a vast number of users—who can get started without going through various complicated operations—the adoption speed will be very fast. This is why many TON-based applications are developing faster than traditional Web3 applications.

Odaily: How will the deep integration of Toncoin and Telegram promote adoption?

Max Crown: The impact will be significant. When users can easily earn and spend Toncoin just like other cryptocurrencies—in applications they already trust—all barriers will be removed. Whether it's tipping creators or paying for services, Toncoin will become a part of everyday interactions, rather than being viewed as an independent financial tool.

5. Regulation and Compliance

Odaily: How do you handle regulation and compliance globally?

Max Crown: My thoughts when I was at MoonPay still apply today - don't wait for regulation to catch up, take the initiative. This means being transparent, supporting compliance tools, and maintaining open communication with regulators. Especially in the United States, the new government's attitude towards cryptocurrency is more friendly, and we are preparing to cooperate with any frameworks that may be introduced.

6. Community and Culture

Odaily: Do you have anything to say to developers and speculators?

Max Crown: To developers: Keep building. You are the core strength of this ecosystem. We will support everyone through better tools, more comprehensive documentation, and broader distribution channels via Telegram. To those trading cryptocurrencies: Keep having fun. But remember one thing - what we are creating is meant 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 laying the infrastructure for the next phase of the internet—a decentralized phase that is truly owned by users and accessible to everyone. Moreover, our approach does not require anyone to change their current application habits. No need to learn new things, no need to adapt, no need for complicated operations. What we are creating is truly user-friendly cryptocurrency. That is the charm of TON.