Telegram messenger founder Pavel Durov has announced he will leave his $13.9 billion (£10.3 billion) fortune to over 100 children he has fathered.
“They are my children, and they will all have equal rights! I don’t want them to end up fighting each other after I die,” Durov told the French political magazine Le Point in an interview.
Durov said he is officially the father of six children from three different women. According to him, a clinic where he donated his sperm 15 years ago to help a friend has informed him that over 100 children have since been born via IVF in 12 countries.
He also denied any involvement in serious criminal accusations made against him in France.
The Russian tech billionaire, who considers himself in exile in France, said his children will not be able to access their inheritance for 30 years.
“I want them to live like regular people, find their own way, learn to trust themselves, and create — not rely on a bank account,” he said.
The 40-year-old said he was prompted to write a will because his work is dangerous:
“Defending freedoms brings many enemies — even in powerful states.”
Allegations against Telegram and Durov
Known for privacy and encrypted messaging, Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly active users.
But Durov is facing criminal allegations in France. He was arrested last year under suspicion of insufficient moderation of crimes taking place through the app.
He denied accusations of failing to cooperate with law enforcement on drug trafficking, child sexual abuse materials, and fraud. Telegram has also denied claims of inadequate moderation.
In his Le Point interview, Durov called the charges “completely absurd”:
“If criminals use our messenger, that doesn’t make us criminals,” he said.
More on Telegram and Durov
Durov currently lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He holds citizenship in both France and the UAE.
He announced his departure from Russia’s VKontakte social network in 2014 after a conflict with the Kremlin.
Afterward, he founded Telegram in 2013, and the app remains popular in Russia.
Large Telegram groups (up to 200,000 users) have been criticized as platforms for spreading fake news, extremist, neo-Nazi, pedophilic, or terrorist content.
Telegram’s Position
Durov said Telegram is actively fighting against child abuse:
“Since 2018, Telegram has used content fingerprinting, dedicated moderation teams, NGO hotlines, and daily reports — all verifiable.”
A Telegram spokesperson added:
“Our app is not effective for spreading harmful content because we lack algorithms that promote sensationalism, unlike other platforms.” Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
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