The sperm donor bros of tech

Genetic largesse from some of Silicon Valley's elite appears to be a mix of narcissism, altruism and dreams of immortality.

- Elaine Moore

Before he was arrested in France for failing to adequately moderate criminal activity on his social media app, tech billionaire Pavel Durov was known for three things: founding Telegram, posting thirst-trap photos on Instagram and fathering over 100 children.

The last fact is a relatively recent revelation. This summer, Durov surprised his online followers by revealing that a sperm donation he made to a fertility clinic had resulted in children conceived in 12 countries by more than 100 couples.

He was, he noted with pride, "high quality donor material". He then declared plans to "open source" his DNA so that his biological children could find one another more easily. It is a plan his detention has presumably derailed.

What could possess someone to boast of fathering a biblical number of children? Durov claimed that he wanted his announcement to destigmatise donation. Its strangeness is likely to have had the opposite effect.