The founder of Telegram has announced that all his children, numbering to over a hundred will receive a share of his fortune. Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of instant messaging app Telegram, plans to leave his fortune to the more than 100 children he has fathered.
“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,” he said, after revealing that he recently wrote his will.
According to Bloomberg, Durov is worth an estimated $13.9 billion, but he dismissed such estimates as “theoretical,” telling Le Point: “Since I’m not selling Telegram, it doesn’t matter. I don’t have this money in a bank account. My liquid assets are much lower – and they don’t come from Telegram: they come from my investment in bitcoin in 2013.”
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Durov’s children may have to wait a while to access their inheritance as the billionaire said: “I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has elapsed, starting from today. 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.”
Durov, a Russian-born tech entrepreneur, is best known as the founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram. He first gained prominence as the creator of VKontakte (VK), Russia’s largest social network, which he launched in 2006. Durov refused to comply with government demands to block opposition groups and hand over user data, ultimately leading to his ouster from VK in 2014. That same year, he left Russia, citing increasing pressure from authorities, and launched Telegram with his brother Nikolai, focused on privacy, speed, and user freedom.
Telegram quickly gained global popularity, especially among activists, journalists, and users in authoritarian countries. It stood out for its commitment to encryption, minimal moderation, and resistance to censorship. As of March 2025, Telegram has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, placing it among the world’s most-used messaging platforms. However, its lax content moderation has drawn criticism and legal scrutiny.
In August 2024, Durov was arrested in Paris on allegations that Telegram enabled child exploitation and illegal content trafficking. He was later released on an estimated $5.3 million bail with travel restrictions, which were lifted in early 2025, allowing him to return to his home in Dubai.
Despite legal controversies, Durov remains a staunch advocate for digital privacy. In June 2025, he made headlines again by announcing that he plans to divide his estimated $14 billion to $17 billion fortune among more than 100 children—six of whom are biological and the rest conceived through sperm donation. This unconventional move reflects his long-standing anti-establishment ethos and futuristic worldview.
When asked why he has written his will now, Durov, who lives in Dubai, said: “My work involves risks – defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states. I want to protect my children, but also the company I created, Telegram. I want Telegram to forever remain faithful to the values I defend.”