Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Reveals He Has Over 100 Children

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed that he is the biological father of more than 100 children, following years of anonymous sperm donation. The Russian-born tech billionaire made the revelation in a recent interview with French political magazine Le Point.

Durov, 40, said the news came from a fertility clinic where he first donated sperm 15 years ago to help a friend. According to the clinic, his donations have resulted in over 100 births across 12 countries.

In addition to those children, Durov said he is the legal father of six others from three different partners. The tech mogul, whose net worth is estimated at $13.9 billion, stated that all of his children – regardless of how they were conceived – will have equal inheritance rights.

“They are all my children and will all have the same rights. I don’t want them fighting over inheritance after I’m gone,” he told Le Point.

However, Durov added that none of his children will have access to their inheritance for the next 30 years. His goal, he said, is to ensure they build their lives independently and are not “dependent on a bank account.”

Durov, who has lived in self-imposed exile from Russia for over a decade, said he drafted his will due to the risks associated with his work. “Defending freedom brings enemies – even from powerful states,” he noted.

Telegram, the messaging app he founded in 2013, has grown to over one billion monthly users and is known for its strong stance on user privacy and encrypted communication. But that commitment has landed Durov in legal trouble.

Last year, French authorities detained him briefly over allegations that Telegram failed to curb criminal activity on the platform, including drug trafficking, fraud, and child exploitation. French prosecutors have accused Durov of not adequately cooperating with law enforcement.

Durov firmly rejected the accusations in the interview, calling them “totally absurd.”

“Just because criminals use a messaging platform doesn’t mean those who run it are criminals,” he said, maintaining that Telegram continues to uphold its legal and ethical responsibilities.