Pavel Durov: Legacy to Over 100 Children in 12 Countries

In a long interview with Le Point, Pavel Durov spoke about many topics, including his arrest in France at the end of August 2024 , his alleged ties to Russian authorities, and copycat competitors (WhatsApp). The CEO of Telegram also revealed who will inherit his fortune.

Inheritance to over 100 children in 12 countries

Answering a question on the subject, Pavel Durov (40) said that he has already written his will because defending freedom means having many enemies. The CEO of Telegram has six children conceived by three different partners and over 100 children in 12 countries conceived through anonymous sperm donation. His fortune (about 14 billion dollars according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index) will be divided among all his children, but they will have to wait 30 years.

Durov is still under investigation in France, but recently received permission to travel to Dubai more often for two-week periods. Durov said the charges (child pornography, drug trafficking, money laundering and 14 others) are absurd. It is also not true that Telegram refuses to cooperate.

The CEO stresses that he has not returned to Russia since 2021. In 2014, he sold his shares in VKontakte , after Kremlin officials asked him to provide information on opponents. Durov says he has never cooperated with Russian authorities.

Speaking about Telegram and the better experience it offers to users compared to competitors, the CEO pointed out that WhatsApp copies everything with a five-year delay. He also reiterated that he will never sell Telegram. Google had offered a billion dollars in 2017.

Durov also stressed that Telegram does not provide private messages to the authorities. The IP address and phone number of a suspect are provided only after receiving an order from the judge. During the interview he also recalled the four years he lived in Turin (from 1988 to 1992), when his father taught classical philology.

In late May, Durov signed a deal with xAI. Elon Musk’s company will invest $300 million in Telegram, while Grok will be integrated into the messaging app.