The ambition to forge a lasting legacy, particularly among the extraordinarily wealthy, often translates into grand plans for their empires. For Xu Bo, the 48-year-old founder and chairman of Guangzhou Duoyi Network, one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies, this ambition reportedly extends to fathering a significant number of children in the United States, with an eye toward their future inheritance of his considerable wealth. His fortune, estimated at $1.1 billion, is at the heart of a complex strategy that has drawn international attention.
Reports suggest that Xu Bo is actively pursuing parental rights for at least four unborn children through surrogacy in the U.S., adding to an existing roster of at least eight more children already conceived via similar means. These efforts are part of a broader, more ambitious goal: to have around 20 U.S.-born children to eventually take over his business. This strategy reportedly includes a desire for “50 high-quality sons,” according to accounts linked to Xu on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, where he also allegedly stated that “having more children can solve all problems.” During a 2023 court hearing, Xu articulated his vision for his American progeny, even fantasizing about them marrying the children of Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the future, further intertwining his dynastic aspirations with other prominent figures of wealth.
The scale of Xu’s reported endeavor has led to conflicting accounts. While his company, Guangzhou Duoyi Network, disputes some claims, it has stated that only 12 of the alleged 100-plus children were born in the U.S., pushing back against earlier reports that suggested a much higher number. This clarification came after an investigation by The Wall Street Journal brought the businessman’s surrogacy practices to light. Such divergent figures underscore the opaque nature of these private arrangements and the challenges in verifying the full scope of such personal undertakings. 
Xu Bo is not alone in these extensive efforts to expand his family through assisted reproductive technologies. Telegram founder Pavel Durov, for instance, has also reportedly engaged in similar practices. Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $14.2 billion, has six officially recognized children with three different partners. Beyond this, he has been a consistent donor to a sperm clinic for 15 years, a practice he claims has resulted in over 100 pregnancies. Durov has publicly stated that he considers all these children, whether conceived naturally or through sperm donation, to be his own, intending for them to have equal rights to his inheritance.
These cases highlight a trend among some ultra-wealthy individuals who are leveraging modern reproductive science to create large families, often across multiple countries, with explicit intentions of securing their legacies and ensuring the continuation of their business empires. The motivations are complex, ranging from personal desires for a large family to strategic planning for corporate succession and the long-term preservation of wealth. As technologies advance and global mobility increases, the intersection of personal ambition, vast wealth, and reproductive choices continues to present novel scenarios for inheritance and family structures in the 21st century.
