Russian tech billionaire with over hundred children makes a promise to his kids, and sets a condition for mothers …
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of messaging app Telegram, offered to cover IVF treatments for women willing to use his donated sperm—and promised their children an equal share of his $17 billion fortune, provided they could prove their DNA connection to him, according to Wall Street Journal. The 41-year-old Russian-born tech entrepreneur revealed in July 2024 that he had fathered over 100 biological children across at least 12 countries through sperm donation. Durov began donating sperm around 2010, initially to help a friend conceive before transitioning to anonymous donations at Moscow’s AltraVita fertility clinic.In summer 2024, per the report, the clinic launched an unusual marketing campaign advertising Durov’s “biomaterial” as having “high genetic compatibility” and offering free IVF for women under 37. A former clinic doctor told the WSJ that participants had to be unmarried to avoid legal complications, noting that interested women were “well-educated and very healthy.” The clinic’s website displayed a banner featuring Durov’s photo alongside the Telegram logo, promoting his “in-demand” sperm.
Over 100 children stand to inherit billions under DNA-verified plan
Durov announced during a French magazine interview that all his biological children would receive equal inheritance shares. “As long as they can establish their shared DNA with me, someday maybe in 30 years from now, they will be entitled to a share of my estate after I’m gone,” he explained on the Lex Fridman podcast in October 2024.Forbes pegged his net worth at $17 billion, though the bulk was tied to Telegram, which he planned to leave to a nonprofit foundation. He also owned an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin purchased in 2013. The inheritance announcement triggered a flood of messages from people claiming to be his offspring, according to Durov, who said he planned to open-source his DNA so biological children could find each other.
Billionaire says global sperm shortage motivated him to donate
Durov positioned his sperm donations as addressing worldwide male infertility and declining sperm counts. “The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I’m proud that I did my part to help alleviate it,” he wrote on Telegram in 2024.The revelation drew joking comparisons to Elon Musk, who has fathered at least 14 children. Musk responded on X with “‘Rookie numbers lmao’—Genghis Khan,” referencing research suggesting 16 million people may descend from the 13th-century warlord. Durov replied with a gaming meme from “StarCraft” reading “SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS.”
