Pavel Durov: Telegram, Wealth, And Open-source Dna

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his web worth at $13.9 billion, but Durov says he does not draw an income or returns from his company.

In a Telegram post last year, Durov claimed he first donated sperm 15 years ago to assist a buddy conceive. Durov claims he will certainly “open-source my DNA so that my organic youngsters can locate each various other more easily.”

The 40-year-old CEO claimed he just created his will recently, in which none of his kids will obtain any one of his cash up until three decades from now. “I desire them to live like normal people, to develop themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to develop, not to be based on a checking account,” he stated.

Telegram now has more than one billion month-to-month energetic customers. It helped leader high-encryption messaging, beloved by personal privacy activists, yet also preferred with lawbreakers. In 2024, Durov, an outspoken free-speech champ, was arrested in France on costs that Telegram was helping with a selection of criminal offenses, including youngster pornography, medicine trafficking, and money laundering. “Just because bad guys use our messaging service among numerous others doesn’t make those that run it wrongdoers,” he told Le Point.

Durov’s Wealth and Telegram’s Costs

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $13.9 billion, but Durov claims he doesn’t draw an income or rewards from his company. “Telegram is a source of expenses, not income,” he told Le Factor, including that he is the sole investor. A fell short blockchain project, which was outlawed by the SEC, put the company in $2 billion of debt.

From VKontakte to Telegram Startup

Durov first made his fortune in 2013, when he sold his risk in the Russian matching of Facebook, VKontakte, and invested a lot of the earnings in Bitcoin. He started Telegram that year with $200 million.

Telegram’s Future: A Non-Profit Foundation

His succession plan for Telegram is that it will certainly end up being a non-profit foundation. “My objective is to make sure the system’s continuity,” he stated. “I want it to continue existing separately, respectfully of privacy and freedom of expression.”

In a Telegram message in 2014, Durov said he first gave away sperm 15 years ago to aid a pal develop. The head of the center informed him he was “top notch contributor material” and told him it was his “civic obligation to contribute even more sperm to anonymously assist more pairs.” Durov claims he will certainly “open-source my DNA to ensure that my biological kids can locate each various other even more conveniently.”