Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has announced that he will leave his entire fortune to the more than 100 children he has fathered.
The 40-year-old Russian tech entrepreneur made the revelation in an interview published on 19 June 2025 by the French magazine Le Point.
Durov is the official parent of six children with three different partners.
The remaining 100 children, born in 12 different countries, are the result of sperm donations he made over the last 15 years.
He stated, “I make no difference between my children: 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!”
Estimated Fortune and Inheritance
His net worth is estimated at between USD13.9 billion (~SGD$18.8 billion) and USD17.1 billion (~SGD$23.2 billion), according to Bloomberg and Forbes.
Based on these figures, each of his 106 children could inherit between USD131 million (~SGD$177 million) and USD161 million (~SGD$218 million).
Durov has stipulated that none of his children will have access to their inheritance until 30 years after the date of the interview, meaning they will wait until 19 June 2055.
He explained, “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.”
Legal and Security Concerns
He said he decided to draft his will recently, citing concerns about the risks that come with defending freedoms, which he believes can create powerful enemies.
Durov has faced legal trouble in France, where authorities charged him with failing to prevent criminal activity on Telegram. He was detained in August 2024 and released after posting a €5 million (~SGD$7.3 million) bail.
He has denied the charges, calling them “absurd”.
Sperm Donation and International Offspring
Durov’s children include six officially recognised offspring and more than 100 others conceived through sperm donations.
He began donating sperm 15 years ago, initially to help a friend.
A clinic later informed him that his donations had resulted in more than 100 births across 12 nations.
Telegram, which Durov founded in 2013, now claims more than one billion monthly users worldwide. Durov remains the sole shareholder of the company and continues to lead it from Dubai.
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