Controversial Telegram Co-Founder Says He’ll Leave $17 Billion Fortune to His 106 Children
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- Pavel Durov said in a new sinterview he will divide his estate among at least 106 children upon his death
- The Telegram co-founder is “the official father” to six children, conceived naturally with three different women, as well as over 100 children conceived via sperm donation, he said
- Durov has faced controversy for his work with Telegram, including accusations by French authorities that criminal activity thrives on the popular messaging app
A controversial co-founder of the messaging platform Telegram says he is dividing his fortune between his children — and he says he has at least 106 of them.
Pavel Durov, 40, told the French outlet Le Point in an interview about his decision to allocate his fortune. He’s worth about $17.1 billion, per Forbes.
Father to six children via natural conception, Durov said he has also been a sperm donor for 100-plus kids in 12 countries.
The billionaire first became a sperm donor to “help a friend,” he said, but otherwise it was anonymous.
“I want to specify that I make no difference between my children: There are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations,” he said. “They are all my children and will all have the same rights!”
Durov said that his children will not have access to their inheritances, after his death, until 30 years from the day he gave the interview to Le Point, or June 19, 2055.
“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.
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Durov decided to allocate his estate now because his “work involves risks,” he said — an apparent reference to the legal issues he has faced over Telegram.
The messaging app, founded in 2013, is popular for its privacy and encryption options. But that has also created problems with law enforcement.
French authorities charged Pavel in August 2024 and accused him of allegedly being complicit in running a platform in which illegal activity — such as child sex abuse material, drug trade and fraud — could thrive, according to The New York Times and NBC News.
The status of that case is not clear, but Durov told Le Point: “Defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states.”
Telegram has also said it uses various content moderation techniques to weed out illicit behavior, NBC News reported.
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