Billionaires such as Telegram founder Pavel Durov and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have openly discussed large families meant to carry on their legacies. Now, a Chinese video game billionaire is reportedly pursuing a similar path in the United States, hoping to have around 20 U.S.-born children who could one day inherit his gaming empire.
Xu Bo, founder and chairman of Guangzhou Duoyi Network—one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies—has built a fortune estimated at $1.1 billion. Despite growing his business in China, Xu is reportedly unwilling to pass his wealth to children born there. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that he has used U.S.-based surrogacy, seeking parental rights to multiple unborn children and already fathering several more through the same process, with the total potentially reaching dozens.
According to reporting, Xu has allegedly claimed to have more than 100 surrogate-born children, expressed a desire for “50 high-quality sons,” and stated that having many children could solve most problems. In a 2023 court hearing, he reportedly said he hoped around 20 U.S.-born children would eventually take over his business. Some claims—including that he has hundreds of children worldwide—have been denied by his company, which disputes parts of the reporting and says only a small number of the children were born in the U.S.
Xu’s case reflects a broader trend among ultra-wealthy tech founders planning unusually large families to preserve their companies and personal legacies.