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Telegram cofounder and CEO Pavel Durov said all of his 100-plus children will get a slice of his billions — eventually.
The boss of the messaging platform told French outlet Le Point that he’s the “official father” of six children from three partners, and has more than 100 offspring in 12 countries after donating his sperm.
“I make no difference between my children. There are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations,” Durov said.
“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.”
The Russian-born entrepreneur has an estimated net worth of almost $14 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
“I wrote my will very recently … I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has elapsed, starting from today,” he told Le Point.
“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.”
Durov explained that he wrote a will despite only being 40 because his work involved risks and he had enemies from within “powerful states.”
He set up Telegram in 2013 after previously founding the Russian social media network VK. Telegram has about one billion active users globally.
Durov was arrested last year after French authorities accused him of being complicit in allowing criminal activity to occur on Telegram. He again denied all the criminal charges laid against him.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this month, Durov said he was still unable to travel freely almost a year after being arrested.
Asked about the comparisons with Elon Musk, he told Le Point he was very different to the world’s richest person: “Elon runs several companies at once, while I only run one. Elon can be very emotional, while I try to think deeply before acting — but that can also be the source of his strength.”
Fitness fan
Like Durov, Musk also has a number of children. In March Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis said she’d had her fourth child with the Tesla CEO.
In response to a comment about his youthful appearance, Durov said his exercise routine involved 300 push-ups in a row, followed by 300 squats.
“I don’t drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, I don’t smoke and I stay away from sugar,” Durov added.
He also enjoys swiming in Finland or Lake Geneva in the middle of winter.
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