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Pavel Durov, the founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, has said that he will share his multi-billion dollar fortune between the more than 100 children he has fathered.
In an interview published on Thursday by the French magazine Le Point, the Russian tech entrepreneur, who is the sole shareholder of Telegram, suggested he wanted them all to have “the same rights.”
“I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death,” he added.
Durov claimed that his sperm donations had led to the births of more than 100 babies in 12 countries. He is also the official father of six children born to three different women.
The tycoon told the French magazine that none of his children would be able to access their inheritance for another 30 years.
“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.
The billionaire revealed that he had recently made his will. When asked why he did so now, Durov suggested that “defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states.”
The 40-year-old, who is based in Dubai, was arrested last year by the French authorities, who accused him of failing to do enough to tackle criminality on his platform.
Durov has repeatedly denied this claim, calling the charges he faces “totally absurd.”
“Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” he said.
Telegram, which Durov founded in 2013, has more than a billion monthly users.