Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has already spoken about his unique approach to fatherhood. The Russian billionaire has offered to fund In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) for women under 37 who want to conceive using his donated sperm. The 41-year-old has also promised that all his biological children will inherit a share of his $17 billion fortune, according to the New York Post.
"As long as they can establish their shared DNA with me, someday maybe in 30 years from now, they will be entitled to a share of my estate after I'm gone," Durov said during an interview on Lex Friedman's podcast in October.
He claimed to have already fathered at least 100 children through sperm donation. The hundred are besides six children from three different partners.
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Durov started donating sperm in 2010 to help a friend struggling with fertility issues. He continued donating, citing a global shortage of high-quality sperm and a desire to help address declining fertility rates. His sperm is stored at the AltraVita Clinic in Moscow, and only unmarried women under 37 are eligible to use it.
On his decision, Durov has spoken about environmental factors, such as plastic pollution, contributing to declining sperm quality. He views sperm donation as a "civic duty" and hopes to encourage other healthy men to follow suit.
"I make no difference between my children," he said in a separate interview with French magazine Le Point.
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He has stated that all his biological children will receive an equal share of his fortune. However, they must establish their genetic link to him and wait 30 years after his passing to access their inheritance.
As per a latest report by The Wall Street Journal, his sperm is in demand. A Journal article published on Monday noted that dozens of women responded to an advertisement which offered Durov's sperm for free at a clinic in Moscow last year.
"The patients who came, they all looked great, were well-educated and very healthy," a former doctor at the clinic said as quoted by the New York Post.
The doctor further added that participants had to be unmarried to avoid legal complications. "They wanted to have a child from, well, a certain kind of man. They saw that kind of father figure as the right one," the doctor said as quoted.
