40-year-old Russian tech tycoon Pavel Durov has just released some interesting details about his will. The founder and CEO of the instant messaging app Telegram has said he plans to leave his vast fortune to his 100+ children. So not only did this man father over 100 kids, but he’s worth enough to make all of them millionaires after his passing.
Durov has six children by three different women, with the rest conceived via sperm donation. But he doesn’t distinguish them by lineage and believes they all have an equal claim to his estate.
“They are all my children and will all have the same rights,” he told the French political magazine Le Point. “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.”
Durov didn’t share how many children he actually had until last year. He explained how a doctor said it was his “civic duty” to give “high quality donor material.” Following that advice, he spent 15 years making donations to sperm banks.
How Much is Durov Worth?
The tech mogul is worth an estimated $13.9 billion, according to Bloomberg. However, as any capitalist will tell you, something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. Durov is adamant that he has no desire to sell Telegram, so that asset shouldn’t be counted.
“Since I’m not selling Telegram, it doesn’t matter,” he explains. “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.”
Before any of his children could get their hands on his loot, they’ll have a bit of a wait. “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,” says Durov.
Making out a will, when you are theoretically worth billions, is a smart move. Durov’s age did beg the question, why now? “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,” he explains.
