(MSN) - Pavel Durov has revealed his plans to leave his $17 billion fortune to his kids — of which there are many!
The cofounder of messaging app Telegram revealed in a new interview with French magazine Le Point that he has six "official" children, but a whole host of others too.
Speaking to the outlet, Pavel explained: "Six of whom I am the official father, whom I had with three different partners."
He continued: "The others come from my anonymous donation. 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."
His fortune
Pavel hopes he can divide his eye-watering fortune among them.
"I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today," Pavel revealed. "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."
100 biological kids
Many might find Pavel's decision to include the children who were born from his sperm donation in his inheritance unusual. Still, he insists: "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."
Pavel previously opened up about his sperm donations in a Telegram post when he said: "I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids. How is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone?"
Due to his "high quality" sperm, they asked him to donate more anonymously to help other couples.
He wants to "open source" his DNA so that his biological kids can find one another.
Controversy
In August 2024, Pavel was charged by French authorities who accused him of allegedly being complicit in running a platform in which illegal activity — including drug deals, fraud and child sex abuse material — could thrive. Pavel told Le Point:
"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."
By Hannah Hargrave
June 20, 2025
