"100 Kids Isn't Crazy Anymore" – Billionaires Redefining Fatherhood

Jul 03, 2026

A New York Times story on ultra-wealthy men fathering dozens or hundreds of kids through surrogacy and sperm donation sparks a debate about legacy versus real parenting.

  • Rich men like Elon Musk, Telegram's Pavel Durov, and Stefan Soloviev are using IVF, surrogacy, and sperm banks to have huge numbers of children — Durov claims over 100.
  • The trend is framed as "inequality made flesh": the rich spread their DNA while normal families feel they can't afford even one kid.
  • Some of these men screen embryos for traits like sex or eye color, echoing a creepy fixation seen in Jeffrey Epstein's emails.
  • The pushback: making babies isn't the same as raising them, and 100 fatherless kids won't fix low birth rates or guarantee good people.
  • A counterpoint raised — a billionaire who funds 100 kids may still be a bigger net positive than one who refuses to have any.

Outlook: Cheap reproductive tech means more wealthy men will likely keep "kidmaxing," but whether it produces functional adults or just rich delinquents stays an open question.

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