Yemi Olakitan
In a revelation that has sent ripples across the tech world and beyond, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, 40, has announced his intention to bequeath his entire estimated $17 billion fortune to his 106 biological children. However, there’s a significant catch: the inheritance won’t be accessible to them until the year 2055.
Durov, who was recently detained in France in August 2024 amidst ongoing legal challenges, shared his unique inheritance plan in an interview with French magazine Le Point on Thursday. The eccentric tech entrepreneur stated that the thirty-year delay is a deliberate measure to foster independence among his considerable progeny.
“I wrote my will very recently… I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today,” Durov explained. “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.”
Durov clarified that his will makes no distinction between his children, whether conceived naturally or through sperm donation. “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. 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.”
The Telegram CEO revealed that six of his children were conceived naturally with three different women. The remaining 100-plus were born via anonymous sperm donations he began making fifteen years ago, a process that has resulted in offspring across a dozen countries. “The clinic, where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries,” he stated.
Based on current estimates from Bloomberg and Forbes, Durov’s substantial net worth could translate to each of his 106 children receiving between $131 million and $161 million, once the 2055 embargo is lifted.
This extraordinary disclosure comes at a time when Durov is facing significant legal scrutiny in France. His detention in August 2024 at Bourget Airport near Paris, upon arrival from Azerbaijan, is part of an ongoing investigation, though details of the charges remain under wraps. Despite these challenges, Durov’s focus appears to be firmly on his legacy and the future independence of his exceptionally large family.