Telegram CEO to leave fortune to over 100 children he fathered

DUBAI – Telegram billionaire founder and chief executive officer Pavel Durov plans to leave his fortune to the more than 100 children he fathered, according to an interview with France’s Le Point magazine. 

Mr Durov, 40, said he is the official father of six children with three partners. He started sperm donation 15 years ago and added that more than 100 babies were conceived that way.

He does not want his kids to touch his fortune for 30 years. 

He is worth US$13.9 billion (S$17.9 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

“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.”

He is known for his sometimes provocative behaviour, congratulating his 11.1 million subscribers at Easter with a Telegram post where he appeared with a naked torso. He does 300 push-ups in a row followed by 300 squats every morning, avoiding alcohol, coffee and tea, according to the interview.

“I wrote my will very recently,” he noted. “I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has elapsed, starting from today.” 

With more than a billion active users, Dubai-based Telegram is one of the world’s most popular messaging apps. Mr Durov was charged in 2024 by French authorities, which claim he was complicit in allowing crimes to be committed on the Telegram app. He has denied the charges.

On June 19, he won a ruling that should allow him to travel more freely to Dubai. Starting July 10, he will be allowed to travel there for stints as long as two weeks, according to an official from France’s justice ministry. The non-public decision was first reported by Le Monde. BLOOMBERG