According to CNN, Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of the instant messaging app Telegram, intends to bequeath his wealth to his more than 100 children.
The computer entrepreneur, who was born in Russia, has disclosed that his inheritance will be divided between his six offspring from previous partnerships and the numerous children he fathered by donating his sperm.
The 40-year-old Durov stated in a comprehensive interview that was published Thursday in the French political magazine Le Point that he does not distinguish between the children he has legally had with three separate women and those created using the sperm he gave.
Since they are all my kids, they will all be entitled to the same rights! After disclosing that he had just drafted his will, he stated, “I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.”
Last year, Durov disclosed on social media how many children he is the father of. He claimed that a doctor advised him that it was his civic obligation to donate his superior donor material, which he did for 15 years.
Bloomberg estimates Durov’s net worth at $13.9 billion, but he rejected these figures as speculative, telling Le Point: “It doesn’t matter because I’m not selling Telegram.” This money is not in my bank account. My liquid assets are significantly smaller and originate from my 2013 bitcoin investment rather than Telegram.
In any case, his kids will have to wait a long time to receive their inheritance. He stated: I made the decision that my children would not be able to access my inheritance until thirty years had passed, beginning today. I want them to live like regular people, learn to trust themselves, build themselves up on their own, and be able to create without relying on a bank account. I would like to clarify that I do not distinguish between my children, some of whom were created naturally and others who were conceived using my donated sperm.
The Dubai-based Durov responded, “My work involves risks defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states,” when asked why he had written his will now. In addition to protecting my kids, I also want to safeguard Telegram, the business I founded. I want Telegram to always uphold the principles I support.
With over a billion users each month, Telegram is renowned for its robust encryption and lax control over user content.
Durov was detained in Paris last year on suspicion of a number of offenses, including allegedly helping narcotics traffickers, money launderers, and those disseminating child pornography using his platform.
The sole shareholder of Telegram, Durov, has refuted the accusations, calling them “ludicrous.”
He told the French magazine that just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t mean that the people who manage it are also criminals.
