Telegram founder Pavel Durov says his estimated $13.9 billion fortune will go to over 100 children he has fathered. In an interview published this week, Durov confirmed that each child would receive equal rights to his estate, regardless of how or where they were conceived.
“They are all my children and will all have the same rights,” Durov told Le Point magazine. “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.”
Durov, 40, revealed that he is the legal father of six children with three women. But he also claimed a fertility clinic informed him that his sperm donations over the past 15 years have resulted in more than 100 births in 12 countries.
Despite the scale, Durov said he has no intention of giving the children access to their inheritance any time soon. “They won’t see a cent for the next 30 years,” he said. “I want them to grow up like everyone else, to learn how to create their own path, not live dependent on a bank account.”
Durov explained he recently finalized his will due to risks tied to his role defending digital freedoms. “This job comes with enemies, including within powerful states,” he said.
Telegram, the messaging platform Durov launched in 2013, has grown into one of the world’s largest encrypted apps, with over one billion monthly users. The app has drawn attention from regulators and law enforcement globally for its privacy-first model, which critics say enables criminal activity.
French prosecutors charged Durov last year for allegedly failing to moderate criminal content on Telegram. The charges include accusations that the platform was not responsive enough to combat drug trafficking, child exploitation, and financial fraud.
Durov denied all allegations and called the charges “totally absurd.” He argued that platform owners cannot be held accountable for how criminals use digital tools. “Just because criminals use our service, among others, doesn’t make the people running it criminals,” he said.
Telegram has also denied claims of insufficient moderation, maintaining that the company responds to legal requests in accordance with local laws.
As Durov remains outside France and continues to face legal pressure, his comments offer a rare insight into his private life and long-term plans. For now, he says his focus remains on defending privacy and building what he calls “a better digital future” a future his children, born through both partnership and donation, will one day inherit.
