In an era where billionaires launch rockets, acquire social networks, or attempt to defy mortality, Pavel Durov has taken an oddly poetic move—equal parts dystopian and utopian.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has announced he will bequeath his estimated $17 billion fortune to his staggering 106 ‘sperm’ children, but not until the year 2055.
Yes, 106 children, a mix of six biological kids and around 100 conceived via sperm donation across 12 countries. Durov explained that six of the children were conceived naturally with three different women.
In an interview, the 40-year-old tech entrepreneur told Le Point magazine that he began donating sperm 15 years ago to help a friend, only to discover later he had unintentionally launched a worldwide legacy project.
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Durov said, “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.”
Based on Durov’s current net worth, each child could receive between $131 million and $161 million, according to estimates by Bloomberg and Forbes.
That is good news for all of Durov’s offspring around the globe, but here is the twist: Durov’s will comes with a 30-year delay on inheritance access.
In his words, “I wrote my will very recently… I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today.” In short, his children cannot access their inheritance until 2055.
His rationale? He said “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. 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.”
And just to spice things up, Durov is currently facing criminal charges in France for allegedly failing to moderate illegal content on Telegram. He’s denied all wrongdoing, calling the accusations “totally absurd.”
With 106 heirs and a 30-year countdown, Durov may have just created the world’s most elite, encrypted family reunion. Imagine the 2055 docuseries: “The Telegram Legacy: Billionaires by Birthright.”
