Pavel Durov Wants to Be Your Baby Daddy

Pavel Durov, the Russian ex-patriate and tech genius behind the app Telegram, has developed a program with a fertility clinic to share his sperm. And he wants to share his vast wealth as well.

"Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of messaging platform Telegram, has fathered six children with three different partners," reports the Daily Mail. But if he has his way, he wants to father 100 more – and has a plan to do so.

But the ripped 40-year-old is believed to have around 100 more after he donated sperm on a mass scale to dozens of couples in 12 different countries.

"AltraVita IVF clinic - a facility located in Moscow's southwestern Akademicheskaya region known for its high concentration of scientific and educational establishments - boasts not only that it has samples of Durov's sperm, but that the tech tycoon will finance the whole procedure," reads the DM.

'Pavel Durov is willing to finance all the IVF protocols that use his sperm. It is a very generous contribution to society from someone who wants to help those dreaming of becoming parents,' the offer on AltraVita's website reads.

Their website has a page devoted to the program. It explains how those who want to participate can apply and test to see if they are eligible for the protocol. There are two requirements:

Age no more than 37 years; and

Health condition should be satisfactory according to our reproductologist's medical report.

The BBC writes that Mr Durov claimed he is the "official father" of six children with three different partners, but the clinic "where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries."

In a lengthy interview with the French magazine Le Point, the self-exiled Russian technology tycoon also told the magazine that his children would not have access to their inheritance for 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 said.

"I want to specify that I make no difference between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations. They are all my children and will all have the same rights ! I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death."

At the age of 40 and in terrific shape, Le Point asked why he is writing his will now.

"My work involves risks – defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states. I want to protect my children, but also the company I created, Telegram. I want Telegram to forever remain faithful to the values I defend."

Looking like he could be featured in a Men's Health profile, Durov explains he follows as strict exercise and diet regimen..

"I subject myself to a disciplined life and exercise, 300 push-ups in a row, without interruption followed by 300 squats - also in a row every morning. I don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, I don't smoke and I stay away from sugar. In short, from everything that can make you dependent. I like being in cold water. I sometimes swim in Finland or Lake Geneva in the middle of winter – which can cause incomprehension (He smiles)."

He also admits to running Telegram without the use of smart phone. "I don't constantly move around with a phone. I manage the Telegram app and work meetings by videoconference with my iPad. I prefer reading, thinking and writing rather than being glued to a phone. It frees me. My team knows how to reach me, and I can stay focused. Attention is today our most precious asset. Notifications are parasites in our lives."

Asked if is a form of "digital asceticism," he replied: "Exactly. Attention is today our most precious asset. Notifications are parasites in our lives. I prefer to preserve my mind. It's also a form of respect for people I interact with: I'm there, with them, really."

And that "asceticism" trickles down into his personal life. The sole owner of Telegram, he is said to be worth $13.9bn; but doesn't own a house or a condo, and instead chooses to reside in luxury hotels, such as the Hotel de Crillon. Durov sees owning things distracts him from his prime mission: building Telegram. "Last October, I realized I had been wearing the same pairs of shoes all year for four years (my friends gave me a new one for my 40th birthday). I only have one formal suit, but most of the time I wear sportswear – usually Adidas or Nike. The media says my fortune is estimated between 15 and 20 billion dollars, but that's only a theoretical estimate of what Telegram could be worth. Since I'm not selling Telegram, it doesn't matter. I don't have this money in a bank account. My liquid assets are much lower – and they don't come from Telegram: they come from my investment in bitcoin in 2013."

The BBC writes that "Mr Durov also addressed criminal charges he faces in France, where he was arrested last year after being accused of failing to properly moderate the app to reduce criminality. He has denied failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation.

In the Le Point interview he described the charges as "totally absurd".

"Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn't make those who run it criminals," he added.

Russian-born Mr Durov now lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based. He holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.

"The founder of VKontakte said in 2014 that he had been fired from the Russian social network after refusing requests from the Kremlin to censor posts," writes the BBC. He founded Telegram in 2013, and the app remains popular in Russia.

"Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which critics have argued makes it easier for misinformation to spread, and for users to share conspiracist, neo-Nazi, paedophilic, or terror-related content."