Meet man with Rs 146000 crore net worth, never married but 'fathered' 100 children, fled to Dubai due too...

Pavel Durov, who is also sometimes referred to as Russia's Mark Zuckerberg, has lived quite an interesting life. He was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg, Russia).
His father is Valery Semenovich Durov, a Doctor of Philological Sciences, who taught at St. Petersburg State University for over two decades until 2013. Pavel Durov's brother, Nikolai, is a mathematician and programmer, and the two have cofounded several platforms together.
Durov spent much of his childhood in Italy due to his father’s employment there before returning to Russia in 2001. He completed a first-class degree in Philology from St. Petersburg State University in 2006.

First venture
Inspired by the success of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook, Durov cofounded VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network, in 2006, with his brother Nikolai and others.
As its CEO, Durov refused Russian government's demands to share user data or censor opposition content, which led to conflicts.
In 2013, he sold his stake in the company and left Russia, claiming the platform had been taken over by government allies.

Telegram Messenger
That same year, Durov cofounded the instant messaging platform Telegram, which has over 1 billion (100 crore) monthly active users. The app is available globally and is particularly popular in Russia, India, Brazil, and Southeast Asian countries.

Personal life
Durov shares five children with two former partners -- two with Daria Bondarenko and three with Irina Bolgar.
In July 2024, he claimed to have fathered more than 100 children in a dozen countries through sperm donation, describing it as a "civic duty."
"I'm proud that I could help so many people start families, even if my role was pretty small. It’s a bit weird to think I have so many biological kids out there, most of whom I’ll probably never meet. But it feels like a civic duty fulfilled," he said at the time.
Durov holds the citizenship of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Caribbean nation Saint Kitts and Nevis.
He currently resides in Dubai, UAE.

Net worth
Durov has an estimated net worth of USD 17.1 billion, according to Forbes, making him the 113th richest person globally and the richest expat in the UAE.