Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says he has over ‘100 biological kids’

Pavel Durov

Founder and CEO of Telegram Messenger, Pavel Durov has shared an intriguing personal revelation of fathering over 100 biological children scattered across the globe, despite being unmarried.

In a post on his popular channel on Monday evening, the 39-year-old entrepreneur recounted how he ended up fathering so many children.

According to Durov, about 15 years ago, a friend approached him with an unusual request.

The friend and his wife, unable to conceive due to fertility issues, asked Durov to donate sperm at a clinic.

Initially skeptical, Durov was persuaded by the clinic’s director, who described the sperm as “high-quality donor material” and emphasised the civic duty of donating to help couples in need.

Durov explained, “I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids. How is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone?”

He continued, “Fifteen years ago, a friend approached me with a weird request. He said that he and his wife couldn’t have kids due to a fertility issue and asked me to donate sperm at a clinic for them to have a baby. I laughed my ass off before realizing he was dead serious.”

He stated that his donations had helped a hundred couples in 12 countries to conceive kids.

Even years after he stopped donating, he revealed that at least one IVF clinic still holds his frozen sperm for use by families seeking to have children.

The Telegram founder mentioned that he is considering open-sourcing his DNA to allow his biological children to find him if they wish.

He acknowledged the potential risks but expressed no regrets, stating, “The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I’m proud that I did my part to help alleviate it.”

Durov also urged other healthy men to consider donating sperm to support families struggling with infertility.

A Russian-born Emirati entrepreneur, Durov was recognized as the richest expatriate in the UAE by Forbes in 2022 and was named the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai by Arabian Business in February 2023.