• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
SuccessBillionaires
Asia

Chinese billionaire who has fathered more than 100 children hopes to have dozens of U.S.-born boys to one day take over his business

Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 5, 2026, 8:28 AM ET
Baby in hospital
Xu Bo, the founder of one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies, is looking to have “50 high-quality sons” in the U.S. to take over his billion-dollar empire.Jacek_Sopotnicki / Getty Images

Billionaires like Telegram founder Pavel Durov and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have fathered legions of children who are slated to inherit their empires. An ultra-wealthy Chinese businessman is doing the same in the U.S., in hopes of producing around 20 U.S.-born children to inherit his video game fortune. 

Recommended Video

Xu Bo is the founder and chairman of Guangzhou Duoyi Network: one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies. Despite the Gen X entrepreneur growing his company in Guangzhou, he’s not looking to pass down his $1.1 billion fortune to a child born in his home country. A 2025 Wall Street Journal investigation into Xu’s surrogacy history in the U.S. found the Chinese billionaire was seeking parental rights to at least four unborn children, and had previously fathered and was actively fathering at least eight more surrogacy kids. There could be dozens more.

The billionaire’s video game company had also reportedly stated Xu has more than 100 children born through surrogates based in the U.S., according to the WSJ reporting last year. He was allegedly seeking “50 high-quality sons,” according to accounts linked to Xu on Chinese microblogging website Weibo, and said that “having more children can solve all problems.” During a 2023 court hearing, Xu also said he hoped to have around 20 U.S.-born children to one day take over his business, according to WSJ.

He also fantasized about his American kids marrying Musk’s children in the future. In late 2025, Xu’s ex-girlfriend also alleged that he had 300 children living around the world—a claim his company denied. 

Xu’s Duoyi Network made a statement against the Journal, stating the publication had “deliberately confused the facts and fabricated false information,” and that only 12 of the alleged 100-plus children were born in the U.S.

Another billionaire fathering 100+ heirs: Telegram founder Pavel Durvo 

Xu is among a growing number of ultra-rich men parenting dozens of children to shepherd their companies and expand their legacies. And just like Xu, the video game billionaire, Telegram founder Durov has helped conceive at least 100 babies across 12 countries. 

As of late 2025, the entrepreneur worth $12.1 billion had six “official” children with three different partners. In addition to this parentage, Durov has also been donating to a sperm clinic for more than 15 years, which told him has led to more than 100 pregnancies. 

“I wrote my will very recently,” Durov told French publication Le Point in an interview last year. “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.”

A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on December 25, 2025.

At the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit, Fortune 500 leaders will convene to explore the defining questions shaping the workforce of the future—delivering bold ideas, powerful connections, and actionable insights for building resilient organizations for the decade ahead. Join Fortune May 19–20 in Atlanta. Register now.
About the Author
Emma Burleigh
By Emma BurleighReporter, Success

Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily newsletter, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs. Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China Project, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geopolitics. She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Success

He started as a part-time Starbucks barista at 17. Now he’s an exec designing the menu
SuccessCareer Advice
He started as a part-time Starbucks barista at 17. Now he’s an exec designing the menu
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 3, 2026
15 hours ago
The Diary of a CEO founder Steven Bartlett
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with ‘zero’ work experience because she ‘thanked the security guard by name’ before the interview
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
16 hours ago
blake
CommentaryHousing
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market’s nepo problem
By Blake O'ShaughnessyMay 3, 2026
17 hours ago
happiness
Economyhappiness
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn’t healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
18 hours ago
Two female college roommates study together in the dorm
SuccessEducation
Trump wants to cut federal loans from college programs that don’t pay off. College cosmetology, fine arts, and music programs are at risk
By Preston ForeMay 3, 2026
19 hours ago
Julia Hartz, the cofounder and CEO of Eventbrite
Successchief executive officer (CEO)
Eventbrite CEO sold her company for $500 million—without a job for the first time since 15, she’s playing chess with a robot and eyeing internships
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
21 hours ago

Most Popular

America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
Economy
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
18 hours ago
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
3 days ago
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
Economy
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
By Jacqueline MunisMay 2, 2026
2 days ago
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
AI
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
By Sasha RogelbergMay 3, 2026
16 hours ago
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
Commentary
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
By Blake O'ShaughnessyMay 3, 2026
17 hours ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
3 days ago