Telegram CEO to leave fortune to 100 children he's fathered
Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram messaging app, is worth US$13.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. PHOTO: AFP
DUBAI – Telegram billionaire founder and chief executive officer Pavel Durov plans to leave his vast fortune to the more than 100 children he's fathered, according to an interview with France's Le Point magazine.
Mr Durov, 40, said he's the official father of six children with three different partners. He also started sperm donation fifteen years ago and said more than 100 babies had been conceived that way. He doesn't want his kids to touch his fortune for 30 years.
He's worth US$13.9 billion (S$17.9 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
'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,' he said in the interview with the French magazine. 'They are all my children and will all have the same rights,' he said.
The tycoon is known for his sometimes provocative behavior, congratulating his 11.1 million subscribers at Easter with a Telegram post where he appeared with a naked torso. He does 300 push-ups in a row followed by 300 squats every morning, avoiding alcohol, coffee and tea, according to the interview.
'I wrote my will very recently,' he said. 'I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today.'
With more than 1 billion active users, Dubai-based Telegram is one of the world's most popular messaging apps. Mr Durov was charged in 2024 by French authorities, who claim he was complicit in allowing crimes to be committed on the Telegram app. He's denied the charges.
On June 19, Durov won a ruling that should allow him to travel more freely to Dubai. Starting July 10, the billionaire will be allowed to travel there for stints as long as two weeks, according to an official from France's justice ministry. The non-public decision was first reported by Le Monde. BLOOMBERG
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