Pavel Durov, the CEO and co-founder of Telegram, has declared his intention to split his wealth among his 106 children, including six biological children and dozen others conceived through sperm donations in 12 countries.
In an interview with French magazine Le Point, the 40-year-old entrepreneur emphasised that all his children will have the same rights, regardless of how they were conceived.
“There are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations. They are all my children and will all have the same rights,” he said.
Forbes estimates that the 40-year-old co-founder of Telegram is worth $17.1 billion.
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His decision follows the risks associated with his work protecting digital freedoms and Telegram’s independence from government control. Though he fathered six children with three partners, Durov began donating sperm anonymously 15 years ago to help a friend, which led to more than 100 births worldwide.
The 30-year condition
Duro attached a condition to his wealth. None of his 106 children can access their inheritance until they clock 30.
He explained that the purpose of the action is to guarantee that they have normal lives, create their own lives on their own, and develop self-reliance.
“I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today. I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account,” he said
Durov’s commitment to digital liberties
Durov noted that the risks associated with his work protecting digital liberties and preserving Telegram’s autonomy from governmental regulation led him to make a will.
He revealed that although he had legally fathered six children with three separate partners, he started giving sperm anonymously 15 years ago to support a buddy, which resulted in more than 100 births in 12 nations.
“Six of whom I am the official father, whom I had with three different partners. The others come from my anonymous donation. The clinic, where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries,” he said.
Non-profit organisations to take over Durov’s business
The co-founder of Telegram stated that a non-profit foundation will take over the business if he passes away.
“If I disappear, a non-profit foundation will take over. My goal is to ensure the platform’s continuity: I want it to continue existing independently, regardless of privacy and freedom of expression,” he said.
Telegram’s profitability
In December 2024, Techpression reported that Telegram had turned a profit, reaching $1 billion in sales, with 12 million premium members and more than $500 million in financial reserves (not including cryptocurrency holdings).
Last month, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, invested $300 million in the social networking app, bringing the Grok chatbot to the well-known messaging service.
Durov claims that the alliance, which combines cash and equity investment, is a major cooperation in the quickly changing field of AI messaging. The deal includes Grok being available across all Telegram apps and being incorporated into the app ecosystem for a year. In addition, 50% of all xAI subscription income made via its app would go to Telegram.
Last year, Durov was arrested and detained in France in connection with a police inquiry into Telegram’s potential involvement in aiding illegal activity.