Telegram Founder Durov Plans $17B Fortune Split Among 106 Children

Pavel Durov, co-founder and CEO of Telegram, has revealed plans to divide his $17 billion fortune equally among his 106 children, which include six biological children from three partners and over 100 conceived via sperm donations across 12 countries. In a recent interview, he emphasized that none of his children will have access to the inheritance for the next 30 years, aiming to encourage them to build independent lives without financial dependence. Durov dismissed ongoing criminal charges against him, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and fraud, as a politically motivated setup and defended Telegram's privacy measures, highlighting the platform's end-to-end encryption that limits monitoring to public channels. Despite legal challenges and accusations from French authorities about Telegram facilitating illicit activities, Durov remains committed to his mission and has arranged for a non-profit foundation to manage Telegram if he disappears. He stressed equality among his children regardless of conception method and hopes to prevent disputes over his wealth after his death. Durov's controversial personal life and legal battles continue to attract global attention as Telegram grows to over a billion monthly users.