Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, recently disclosed that he has fathered over 100 biological children. Remarkably, he remains unmarried.
Durov’s journey as a sperm donor began 15 years ago when a close friend approached him with a heartfelt request. The friend and his wife were struggling with fertility issues, and they asked Durov to donate sperm at a clinic.Initially amused by the idea, Durov soon realized the seriousness of the situation and agreed to help.
Doctors emphasized the scarcity of high-quality donor material, prompting Durov to view sperm donation as his civic duty. His contributions have enabled around a hundred couples across 12 countries to conceive children. Even today, one IVF clinic retains his frozen sperm for anonymous use by families seeking to expand.
Despite acknowledging the risks involved, Durov has no regrets about his altruistic act. He believes he played a role in addressing the global shortage of healthy sperm.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, himself father of 12 children, playfully responded to Durov’s revelation. On X (formerly Twitter), Musk quipped that having 100 biological children was “rookie numbers,” humorously attributing the quote to Genghis Khan—an 11th-century Mongol ruler estimated to have had hundreds, if not thousands, of biological offspring.
Durov’s journey as a sperm donor began 15 years ago when a close friend approached him with a heartfelt request. The friend and his wife were struggling with fertility issues, and they asked Durov to donate sperm at a clinic.Initially amused by the idea, Durov soon realized the seriousness of the situation and agreed to help.
Doctors emphasized the scarcity of high-quality donor material, prompting Durov to view sperm donation as his civic duty. His contributions have enabled around a hundred couples across 12 countries to conceive children. Even today, one IVF clinic retains his frozen sperm for anonymous use by families seeking to expand.
Despite acknowledging the risks involved, Durov has no regrets about his altruistic act. He believes he played a role in addressing the global shortage of healthy sperm.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, himself father of 12 children, playfully responded to Durov’s revelation. On X (formerly Twitter), Musk quipped that having 100 biological children was “rookie numbers,” humorously attributing the quote to Genghis Khan—an 11th-century Mongol ruler estimated to have had hundreds, if not thousands, of biological offspring.
Musk himself has fathered 12 children with three different women and recently welcomed a new baby with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.