Even though not e2e, standard chat messages are still encrypted in their servers. There will always be more private ways to communicate if you are into that about that but for a regular user like myself and many others, Telegram offers much more than you could ask, and is not affiliated with big tech.
Telegram apps are open source, syncs great and accessible from literally everywhere, has great customizability, sends 2 gb files without breaking a sweat, has awesome channels, has bots that is pretty useful… need more reasons?
I very much dislike TikTok and its interface. Even Spotify is trying to imitate it.