Photo Credit: Getty Images
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has announced a bold and unprecedented inheritance plan: dividing his entire $17.1 billion fortune equally among his 106 children. The revelation, made in a June 19 interview with French publication Le Point, underscores Durov's deeply personal philosophy on legacy, equality, and individual merit.
Durov, 40, emphasized that he makes no distinction between his children, regardless of how they were conceived. "There are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations," he stated. "They are all my children and will all have the same rights." Officially, he is the biological father of six children with three different women. However, he disclosed that he began donating sperm 15 years ago—initially to help a friend—which has since resulted in 100 additional children across 12 countries.
The Russian-born billionaire, known for co-founding Telegram in 2013 alongside his brother Nikolai, said the decision to publicly allocate his estate stemmed from the risks associated with his work. "Defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states," he told Le Point. Notably, Durov is currently under investigation in France, where he was arrested in August 2024 on allegations that Telegram was used for distributing illegal content, including child exploitation materials and narcotics. While he denies the accusations, stating "Nothing has ever been proven showing that I am...guilty of anything," he remains under strict bail conditions, reporting to French police twice a week.
Though his children will inherit equally, they won't receive their shares immediately. Durov has stipulated that the estate will only be accessible 30 years from the date of the interview—June 19, 2055. "I want them to live like normal people," he explained. "To build themselves up alone... not to be dependent on a bank account."
His approach echoes a growing trend among ultra-wealthy tech figures. Bill Gates, for example, has pledged to leave less than 1% of his $116 billion estate to his three children, arguing that a larger inheritance would "not be a favor to them." On the Figuring Out podcast, Gates explained, "I want to give them a chance to have their own earnings and success."
Durov's decision, though unconventional and enveloped in legal scrutiny, reflects a distinct vision of parenthood, wealth, and responsibility—one that deliberately balances vast privilege with enforced humility.
