Telegram messaging app founder and CEO Pavel Durov revealed that he intends to divide his entire fortune estimated somewhere around $13.9 billion among his over 100 children, which he claims to have fathered through sperm donation, including six conceived naturally, he said in an interview with a French magazine Le Point.“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,” Durov said. “They are all my children and will all have the same rights.”Durov is officially the father of six children with three partners. In addition, he has fathered over 100 more children through anonymous sperm donations over the past 15 years, a journey that began when a friend asked for help starting a family. Today, his children are spread across 12 countries.The 40-year old Russian born tech-magnate said he recently worked out his will, deciding his heirs would not immediately get access to his wealth. “I recently drafted my will. I’ve decided that my children will not be allowed to inherit anything until thirty years from today,” he explained. When questioned about drafting his will at the age of 40, Durov said his commitment to defending freedoms comes with serious risks and has earned him enemies, some of them powerful nations. His intention, he added, is to safeguard both his children and Telegram, the platform he created, so it continues to uphold the principles he believes in.“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,” the CEO added.Often referred to as “Russian Mark Zuckerberg,” Durov has an unorthodox lifestyle and outspoken persona and lived a life of relative secrecy. Currently based in the Middle East, he has consistently portrayed himself as an advocate for digital privacy and personal liberty.Durov, who has frequently clashed with the Kremlin over free speech concerns, was accused last year by French authorities of enabling illegal activities, such as sexual abuse and drug trafficking, on his encrypted messaging app. He has strongly denied all the allegations.
