Pavel Durov Plans Equal Inheritance for All His Children
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov plans to distribute his fortune equally among all his children, including those from sperm donations.
Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, has stated that all of his children will receive equal shares of his fortune. In an interview with the French outlet Le Point, Durov mentioned that he is the biological father of six children from three partners and has over 100 offspring in 12 countries through sperm donations. He emphasized that he makes no distinction between his children, stating, "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." Durov, whose net worth is estimated at approximately $14 billion, recently wrote his will, specifying that his children will not have access to his fortune until 30 years have elapsed from today. He explained, "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 also noted that he wrote his will despite being only 40 years old because his work involves risks and he has adversaries within "powerful states." He founded Telegram in 2013 after previously establishing the Russian social media network VK. Telegram currently has about 1 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 denied all the criminal charges laid against him. In an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this month, Durov stated that he was still unable to travel freely almost a year after being arrested. When asked about comparisons with Elon Musk, Durov told Le Point that he was very different from 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." Regarding his fitness routine, Durov mentioned that he performs 300 push-ups in a row, followed by 300 squats. He added, "I don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, I don't smoke, and I stay away from sugar." He also enjoys swimming in Finland or Lake Geneva in the middle of winter.