'Rookie numbers': Musk scoffs at Telegram CEO's 100+ kids claim
In a surprising revelation shared with his 5.7M subscribers, Pavel Durov, the Founder and CEO of Telegram, announced he has over 100 biological children. "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?" the tech mogul questioned. Durov's revelation quickly went viral. Elon Musk weighed in, humorously referencing Genghis Khan with the comment, "Rookie numbers."
Durov's journey to unexpected fatherhood began 15 years ago
The origins of this surprising revelation trace back to an incident about 15 years ago. A friend, struggling with fertility issues, asked Durov for a unique favor. "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," Durov shared.
Durov's sperm donations resulted in over 100 children
The head of the clinic informed Durov of a shortage of "high-quality donor material" and suggested it was his "civic duty to donate more sperm to anonymously help more couples." Intrigued by the idea, Durov agreed to become a sperm donor. As a result, his donations have facilitated the birth of over a hundred children in 12 different countries. "Many years after I stopped being a donor, at least one IVF clinic still has my frozen sperm available," he added.
Tech mogul plans to make his DNA publicly available
Now, Durov plans to make his DNA publicly available, allowing his biological children to connect with each other. Further, reflecting on the importance of healthy sperm, he stated, "I am proud that I did my duty. 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." "I also want to help destigmatize the whole notion of sperm donation."
Remember, Bollywood has a movie on Durov's situation?
To recall, Bollywood addressed the topic of sperm donation in the 2012 romantic comedy Vicky Donor, starring Ayushmann Khurrana. The film centers on Vicky Arora, a directionless young man who is approached by renowned reproductive endocrinologist Baldev Chaddha to donate sperm. Initially hesitant, Vicky agrees, and as his sperm significantly boosts the success rates at the IVF clinic, he gains considerable wealth. The film also featured Yami Gautam Dhar.
