Here's a wild succession plan that makes most estate planning look downright boring. Xu Bo, the billionaire founder and chairman of Guangzhou Duoyi Network, is apparently building his next generation of business leaders the old-fashioned way: by having a lot of them.
And we mean a lot. According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Xu is seeking parental rights for at least four unborn children and has already fathered approximately eight more through surrogacy. The kicker? His company previously announced that the gaming mogul has over 100 children born through U.S. surrogates.
Xu hasn't been shy about his unconventional philosophy. He's expressed his ambition for "50 high-quality sons" and has stated that "having more children can solve all problems." That's certainly one approach to talent acquisition.
While the company has denied claims from an ex-girlfriend that Xu has 300 children worldwide, it confirmed that 12 of the alleged 100-plus children were born in the United States.
Xu isn't alone in this rather unique demographic strategy. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has also fathered over 100 children across 12 countries, including six "official" children with three different partners and others through sperm donations.
The strategic calculation here is pretty transparent. By ensuring a massive pool of potential heirs, these tech billionaires are essentially creating what amounts to a succession safety net for their business empires. The U.S. citizenship angle adds another layer—these children could enjoy legal and financial advantages that might strengthen the companies' position in global markets.
Of course, this approach raises some rather obvious ethical questions and could invite legal complications down the road. But for now, it represents one of the most unusual succession planning strategies in the business world.
