Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, has revealed that his estimated $13.9 billion fortune will be shared among the more than 100 children he has fathered, NaijNaira can report. “They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death,” Durov said.
Speaking to Le Point, Durov explained he is officially the father of six children from three different women, but he also has over 100 other children after donating sperm to a fertility clinic.
The Russian-born tech founder, now living in self-imposed exile, said his children will not access their inheritance for the next 30 years. He explained, “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.”
Durov said he prepared his will early because his work comes with danger. “Defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states,” he said.
Telegram, known for its privacy, secure messaging, encrypted chats, and over a billion monthly active users, has faced scrutiny from law enforcement in several countries.
In France, Durov was arrested last year over allegations that Telegram failed to moderate criminal content. He dismissed the charges as “totally absurd.” Durov added, “Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals.”
Telegram has denied claims of poor content moderation.
Article updated 3 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
