Telegram’s Pavel Durov to Leave $17 Billion to His 106 Children

By Orgesta Tolaj

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20 June 2025

telegram co owner ceo pavel durov

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Pavel Durov, the 40‑year‑old co‑founder and CEO of Telegram, made waves in a recent interview with France’s Le Point.

He plans to divide his immense fortune—estimated between $13.9 billion and $17.1 billion—equally among 106 children, including six biological offspring and over 100 conceived via anonymous sperm donations across 12 countries.

Durov emphasized that every child—regardless of origin—will have equal rights.

Parenting Decision Unlike Any Other

However, to ensure that his children grow up independent, he’s made a striking decision. They won’t gain access to their inheritance until June 19, 2055, thirty years after the interview. “I want them to live like normal people, … not to be dependent on a bank account,” he explained.

telegram co owner ceo pavel durov
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From Tech Mogul to Nomadic Donor

Durov’s net worth stems from his role in founding Telegram in 2013. Telegram is a privacy-focused messaging platform now boasting over a billion users. But beyond entrepreneurship, Durov has cultivated a secret legacy of fatherhood. He began donating sperm 15 years ago “to help a friend” and continued anonymously, resulting in at least 100 children born via donation.

His approach raises complex ethical and legal questions surrounding donor anonymity and parental identity, but Durov frames it as a humanitarian act. He told Le Point that he refuses to discriminate among his kids—“They are all my children and will all have the same rights!”—while hoping to avoid posthumous disputes: “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death”.

Durov’s urgency in formalizing inheritance plans appears related to mounting legal scrutiny. In August 2024, he was detained by French authorities who accused Telegram of enabling illicit content, including drug trafficking and child pornography. Durov asserts that “nothing has ever been proven showing … I am … guilty of anything,” maintaining that Telegram cooperates with law enforcement while opposing undue censorship.

telegram co owner ceo pavel durov
© CC BY 2.0

By locking inheritance until mid‑century, he aims to shield both his fortune and his heirs from any politically or legally motivated interference tied to his activism for digital privacy and freedom of speech.

Implications and Reactions

  • Financial scale: Based on current valuations, each child stands to inherit between $131 million and $161 million, assuming 106 heirs.
  • Modern fatherhood redefined: Durov’s public declaration of over 100 kids challenges traditional ideas about inheritance, family, and anonymity in the digital age.
  • Ethical and legal nuances: His plan raises questions about the rights of donor-conceived children and the responsibilities of wealthy influencers to disclose their parentage.
  • Privacy advocacy spotlighted: Durov framed his legacy planning as a proactive measure—part of “defending freedoms,” which he says invites “many enemies, including within powerful states”.

What Lies Ahead?

Telegram will likely evolve further under multi-billion-dollar inheritance dynamics, especially if legal challenges intensify. As 2055 approaches, his heirs may wield extraordinary wealth and responsibility. Until then, Durov’s actions spark essential conversations about identity, wealth, and rights in today’s tech era.

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