Telegram's boss has revealed that he's leaving his $17 billion fortune to over 106 children he's fathered.
In a jaw-dropping interview with French outlet Le Point, the 40-year-old billionaire revealed he’s fathered at least 106 children - six biologically with partners and more than 100 others via anonymous sperm donations across 12 countries.
And now, he’s pledging to divide his staggering $17.1 billion fortune equally among them.
“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,” Durov told the publication. “They are all my children and will all have the same rights!”
Durov said he began donating sperm 15 years ago to help a friend and only later learned from the clinic that over 100 babies had been conceived from his donations.
However, Durov's children won't see a cent of their inheritance until June 19, 2055 - a full 30 years from the date of the interview.
“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 explained.
Based on his current net worth and assuming he has 106 children, each would inherit roughly $131 million - eventually.
“I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death,” he added.
Durov’s decision to solidify his estate now isn’t just about legacy, it’s also about risk. And his work, he says, comes with plenty of it.
Telegram, launched in 2013, has grown into one of the world’s most popular messaging platforms thanks to its end-to-end encryption and commitment to privacy. But that very feature has also turned it into a haven for illegal activity, according to law enforcement.
In August 2024, French authorities formally charged Durov with alleged complicity in enabling Telegram to be used for illicit content, including child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and fraud, as reported by The New York Times.
Durov denies any wrongdoing and dismissed the charges as “absurd," adding: “Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” per CBS News.
He doubled down in the interview: “Nothing has ever been proven showing that I am, even for a second, guilty of anything. Defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states.”
Telegram, for its part, insists it employs content moderation tools to combat abuse, though critics argue those efforts fall short.