Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed that over 100 of his biological children will inherit his entire $14 billion
The 40-year-old Russian-born tech tycoon said that he had written his will and had ensured that all his children will get an equal share of his wealth.
Durov has six “official” children with three different women. He has also been donating to a sp*rm clinic for 15 years. The clinic informed him that he had helped conceive over 100 babies across 12 countries.
Although many of the children do not yet know their father, Durov has decided to include them in his $13.9 billion will.
“I wrote my will very recently. I make no difference between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sp*rm donations. 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 said in an interview with the French publication, Le Point.
With over 100 and 6 official children, Durov’s wealth will be subdivided between at atleast 106 children. This means that each child could potentially inherit about $132 million (KSh 17 billion).
When will Pavel Durov’s children receive inheritance?
Durov has also put a time limit on the time when his children will be able to access their inheritance to ensure they live like normal people and build themselves up.
“I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today. I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, and not to be dependent on a bank account,” Durov continued.
Although most of the children may not yet know Durov is their biological father, they may eventually be able to confirm their link through paternity tests, depending on donor anonymity laws in their country.
Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after defying government censorship demands, built Telegram into a global messaging powerhouse.
Bill Gates to give away 99% of his wealth
In contrast to Durov’s decision, Microsoft’s Bill Gates has vowed to leave less than 1% of his $176 billion (about KSh 22 trillion) fortune to his children.
Gates has pledged to donate 99% of his fortune, with Africa set to receive the largest share over the next 20 years.
Speaking at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Gates said the funds will target healthcare, education, and economic development across the continent as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s final phase before it winds down by 2045.
Gates said his decision is rooted in a desire to uplift the continent and ensure his legacy isn’t one of wealth hoarding, vowing that he did not want to be described as someone who died rich.