Pavel Durov, the elusive billionaire behind Telegram, has revealed that more than 100 children—biological and donor-conceived—will inherit his vast $13.9 billion fortune.
In a rare and wide-ranging recent interview with French political magazine Le Point, the 40-year-old tech mogul said his entire lineage, regardless of how or where they were conceived, will receive equal rights to his estate.
“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,” Durov told the publication, explaining that the decision stems from a desire to preserve unity among his offspring.
While Durov confirmed he is the legal father of six children with three women, he disclosed that a sperm bank he donated to over a decade ago informed him that more than 100 children have been born from his donations in at least 12 countries.
However, these heirs will not gain immediate access to the billions.
“My children won’t receive a cent for the next 30 years,” Durov said. “I want them to live normal lives, build their identities, and learn to thrive without relying on inherited wealth. They must learn to trust themselves—not a bank account.”
Durov also addressed ongoing legal battles in France, where he was arrested last year over allegations linked to criminal activity on Telegram’s platform.
French prosecutors accuse him of failing to cooperate in investigations into drug trafficking, child exploitation, and fraud allegedly facilitated through the app.
Durov flatly dismissed the charges as “totally absurd.”
“Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” he said, maintaining Telegram’s position that it cooperates with legal authorities when appropriate.
Telegram, renowned for its strict encryption and user privacy, boasts over a billion monthly active users.
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But it has repeatedly come under fire from governments and cybersecurity experts for lax moderation practices, allowing extremist content and misinformation to proliferate across its vast public channels.
The Russian-born entrepreneur, now a citizen of both the UAE and France, resides in Dubai where Telegram is headquartered.
His history of defiance stretches back to 2014 when he claimed he was ousted from VKontakte, Russia’s biggest social network, for refusing Kremlin demands to suppress political dissent.
Since then, Durov has positioned himself as a defender of online freedom. “My work involves risks—defending freedoms earns you powerful enemies,” he said, explaining his recent decision to formalize his will.
Critics argue Telegram’s design, which allows public groups of up to 200,000 members, has made it a haven for extremist communities, from neo-Nazis to child predators.
The platform has occasionally banned such groups under pressure, but analysts say its moderation still lags far behind tech giants like Meta or Google.
Despite the controversies, Durov remains defiant—about both his mission and his legacy.