Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov plans to leave his wealth to his offspring—all 106 of them. In an interview with France's Le Point magazine, the 40-year-old says he recently wrote his will, and his fortune will go to the six children with three partners he is the official father of and around 100 more in a dozen countries born since he started making anonymous sperm donations 15 years ago. "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. I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death," he added.
Durov said his children would not be able to access the funds for 30 years from the date of the will. "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. Telegram is one of the world's most popular messaging apps, and Bloomberg estimates Durov's fortune at $13.9 billion. Asked why he decided to write his will now, he said, "My work involves risks—defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states."
Durov is being investigated in France over alleged illegal content on Telegram but authorities recently eased restrictions, allowing the Russian-born CEO to travel to Dubai, where his family lives. Durov, who denies the French charges, told Le Point that has not cooperated with any Russian requests linked to political persecution and he hasn't returned to the country since 2021, when news stories first mentioned a possible war with Ukraine. The magazine also asked him about a few leaders in technology and politics.
- Elon Musk. "Elon can be very emotional, while I try to think deeply before acting. But that can also be the source of his strength."
- Mark Zuckerberg. "Mark adapts well and quickly follows trends, but he seems to lack fundamental values that he would remain faithful to, regardless of changes in political climate or fashion in the tech sector."
- Sam Altman. "Sam has excellent social skills, which allowed him to forge alliances around ChatGPT. But some wonder if his technical expertise is still sufficient."
- President Trump. "I'm not a fan of everything he does, but I consider that banning Donald Trump from social networks was a mistake, and that it's even very dangerous. It set a precedent."
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