Pavel Durov, the enigmatic founder of the global messaging platform Telegram, has announced a strikingly unconventional succession plan: his entire £17 billion fortune will be distributed among more than 106 children he has reportedly fathered through both natural conception and large-scale sperm donations. The 40-year-old tech mogul, often dubbed “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg,” made this revelation during a recent interview with French magazine Le Point, where he emphasized his desire for fairness and legacy stability after his passing.

One Billionaire, Many Heirs

Durov confirmed that he has six biological children from three separate romantic relationships. In addition to these, he revealed he had voluntarily donated sperm to numerous couples around the world—reportedly across 12 countries—resulting in more than 100 other children bearing his genetic lineage. According to him, there exists no moral or legal distinction between the children he raised and those conceived through donation. He insisted that all of them will inherit equal rights to his estate.

“They are all my children,” he said firmly in the interview. “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.”

This statement hints at a carefully crafted plan to preempt potential conflicts that commonly arise in complex inheritance cases, especially those involving large fortunes and multiple heirs.

Delayed Access to the Fortune

While his massive wealth will eventually go to his more than 100 offspring, Durov has decided they won’t receive access to any funds immediately. He has built a clause into his estate strategy that imposes a mandatory 30-year delay on the disbursement of any inheritance. The reason, he explained, stems from a deep philosophical belief in self-reliance and personal development.

“I want them to live like normal people,” he explained. “They need to build their own lives, learn to trust themselves, and be able to create—not depend on a bank account.”

Durov’s inheritance delay strategy is unusual, especially in Silicon Valley circles, where generational wealth often transfers quickly to descendants. However, his approach reflects the influence of minimalist ideologies and perhaps even echoes his past as an anti-establishment figure in the Russian tech world.

Origins of the Revelation

Speculation about Durov’s children began circulating last year after Irina Bolgar, a Russian woman residing in Switzerland, publicly claimed that the billionaire was the father of her three children. In an interview published in the Russian edition of Forbes, Bolgar asserted that Durov had fathered her daughter and two sons, born between 2013 and 2017 in St. Petersburg. She also stated that her children carry Durov’s surname and shared family photos as supporting evidence.

Shortly after Bolgar’s public claim, Durov confirmed that he had, in fact, fathered children through sperm donation and expressed pride in doing so. His support for alternative forms of parenthood is part of a broader worldview that prizes personal freedom, decentralization, and intellectual curiosity—values often reflected in both his lifestyle and his technological ventures.

Telegram’s Meteoric Rise and Its Legal Shadow

While Durov’s personal life has made headlines, his professional journey has been equally dramatic. As the founder and CEO of Telegram, he oversees one of the world’s largest encrypted messaging platforms, with more than 1 billion monthly active users as of 2025. Telegram is particularly popular for its privacy features, large user communities, and resistance to government censorship. Yet its open architecture has also made it a haven for controversial and sometimes illegal activities.

In France, authorities have placed Durov under judicial supervision due to an ongoing investigation into alleged criminal activities conducted via Telegram. The French judiciary has been examining whether the app has been used to facilitate child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraudulent financial schemes.

In 2024, French police detained and questioned Durov after he entered the country for a business engagement. Though later released, he was formally placed under judicial control, which restricts his movement in and out of France. In March 2025, Durov denied all allegations and returned to his residence in Dubai, where he continues to operate Telegram and manage his various business interests.

From Russia to Dubai: A Legacy of Defiance

Pavel Durov has always been a controversial figure in tech and political circles. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, he co-founded the social networking platform VKontakte (VK) in 2006, which quickly became Russia’s most popular social media site. After clashing with Russian authorities in 2014—partly over his refusal to surrender user data related to political dissidents—Durov fled the country, alleging government overreach and personal threats.

Shortly afterward, he launched Telegram as a secure alternative to WhatsApp and other platforms. Designed with encryption and privacy at its core, the app gained popularity among activists, journalists, and users in authoritarian countries. Over the past decade, it has evolved into a powerful communications tool used for everything from e-commerce to global political organizing.

His permanent relocation to Dubai enabled him to evade Russian state control, and he has since acquired citizenship in several countries to maintain his global mobility.

Ethical Questions and Public Reaction

Durov’s recent inheritance announcement has sparked a firestorm of ethical and legal debates. Critics have raised questions about the psychological impact of being one among more than 100 heirs to a vast fortune, particularly when many of the children may never have personal relationships with Durov himself. Others have questioned whether such inheritance strategies might incentivize the commodification of fatherhood.

Bioethics scholars have long cautioned against mass sperm donations that result in dozens or even hundreds of genetically related individuals—especially when anonymity and lineage rights intersect. Some jurisdictions, including parts of the U.S. and Europe, have already capped the number of children a single sperm donor can legally father.

In Durov’s case, the transparency surrounding his donations and posthumous estate plans may prompt governments to reconsider current legal frameworks related to inheritance and reproductive ethics.

A Futuristic Philosophy on Wealth and Parenthood

Despite the swirling legal, moral, and political questions, Durov appears unfazed. His legacy plan combines high-tech wealth with an ancient philosophical principle: that personal growth should not be built on inherited riches but earned through grit and creativity.

His decision to delay inheritance for three decades forces his children to define themselves outside the shadow of wealth. While his announcement may strike some as eccentric or even reckless, others see it as a forward-thinking experiment in legacy management.

In an age where billionaire wealth often reinforces inequality, Durov’s model introduces a provocative alternative—one that may influence the next generation of tech moguls rethinking how and why they pass on their fortunes.

Looking Ahead: Telegram, Trials, and Transitions

As legal proceedings in France continue and his empire expands, Pavel Durov remains a polarizing figure. Whether as a pioneer of digital privacy, a defiant dissident, or an unconventional father of 100-plus heirs, his actions continue to defy convention.

While critics scrutinize his legacy and lifestyle, one thing remains clear: Durov is shaping a narrative few others could. His fortune, much like his platform, is being designed for an unpredictable, decentralized future—one where inheritance meets ideology and fatherhood meets futurism.