Telegram CEO to leave $17bn for 106 children

Telegram CEO to leave $17bn for 106 children

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has revealed plans to bequeath his estimated $17 billion fortune to his 106 biological children but not until the year 2055.

In an interview with French magazine Le Point published on Thursday, the 40-year-old tech billionaire said he deliberately set the inheritance timeline 30 years from now to ensure his children develop self-reliance before accessing his wealth.

“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 said.

“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.”

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The Telegram CEO explained that his heirs include six children conceived naturally with three different women, while the remaining were born via anonymous sperm donations across a dozen countries over the past 15 years.

“Six of whom I am the official father, whom I had with three different partners. 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,” he said.

Despite their different origins, Durov stressed that all his children would be treated equally under the terms of his will.

“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.”

Based on current estimates by Bloomberg and Forbes, each child could inherit between $131 million and $161 million by 2055.

Durov’s disclosure comes amid ongoing legal troubles in France. He was reportedly detained in August 2024 at Bourget Airport near Paris while arriving from Azerbaijan on a private jet.

Telegram CEO to leave $17bn for 106 children