Pavel Durov, the elusive founder of the messaging platform Telegram and a staunch advocate for privacy and personal freedom, made a striking revelation in an interview with the French magazine Le Point. The Russian tech entrepreneur announced that his multi-billion dollar fortune will be divided among more than 100 of his children — including six officially recognized heirs and over a hundred children born via sperm donation.
“I don’t want them tearing each other apart after my death,” said the 40-year-old billionaire, explaining his decision.
According to Le Point, Durov’s children live in 12 different countries. He is officially the father of six children from three different women, but insists that all of his offspring — whether biologically or legally connected — should have equal rights.
An Inheritance — But Not Yet
Durov emphasized that none of his children will have access to their inheritance for another 30 years. The reasoning is simple: he wants them to grow into independent individuals, capable of building their own lives without relying on wealth.
“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,” he explained.
According to Euronews, this approach reflects not only Durov’s life philosophy but also his attempt to pass down values — freedom, independence, and creativity — rather than just money.
A Will and the Fear of Enemies
The billionaire revealed that he recently made his will. When asked why he did so now, Durov offered a candid response:
“When you defend freedoms, you earn many enemies — including within powerful states,” he said.
Now based in Dubai, Durov has faced increasing legal pressure. Last year, he was briefly arrested in France over accusations that he wasn’t doing enough to fight criminal activity on Telegram. Durov has strongly rejected these claims:
“Just because criminals use our messaging service, like many others, doesn’t make us criminals,” he said in the interview.
Analysts note that Telegram frequently finds itself under scrutiny precisely because of its strong commitment to encryption and its refusal to cooperate with most governments — including the Russian one. Meanwhile, the platform’s global user base has surpassed one billion monthly users, making it a critical player in the global digital space.
The Man Behind the Encryption
Pavel Durov is a near-mythical figure in tech: he created VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network, and later launched Telegram when he felt freedom of speech in Russia was under threat. He rarely gives interviews, avoids the public eye, and keeps his private life under tight wraps. His recent disclosure about his children and inheritance was an unprecedented act of openness.
With this decision, Durov challenges traditional notions of inheritance, family, and the responsibility of billionaires toward the next generation. He turns the very act of writing a will into a political and philosophical statement — about rights, freedom, and financial independence.
As Le Point notes, even in matters of inheritance, Pavel Durov stays true to himself: breaking conventions, but with logic, discipline, and an ideology rooted in liberty.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Euronews. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
The original article can be found at the following link: Euronews.
All rights to the original text belong to Euronews.
