The Journal. Fertility Inc.: One Dad, One Hundred Babies
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Mar 20, 2026 
Katherine Long, a Wall Street Journal investigative reporter covering the fertility industry, unpacks the surreal case of Xu Bo, a Chinese tech entrepreneur trying to build a mega-family through U.S. surrogacy. It explores the luxury market for many simultaneous births. It follows the agencies and courts involved. It also examines weak oversight, legal gray zones, and babies left in limbo.
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Court Clerks Uncovered One Father Seeking 12 Babies
- LA family court clerks noticed Xu Bo filing at least four parentage petitions at once and found eight more children already underway via surrogacy.
- Katherine Long says the pattern exposed a new phenomenon in this market where one wealthy father could be pursuing 12 surrogate-born children simultaneously.
Why Wealthy Chinese Parents Turn To US Surrogacy
- The U.S. has become a global surrogacy hub for Chinese clients because many countries ban it and China restricts single women, sex selection, and gay couples.
- Nathan Zhang says wealthy Chinese entrepreneurs now seek very large families, sometimes inspired by Elon Musk's public pro-natalism and 14 children.
Set Hard Limits On Extreme Surrogacy Requests
- Cap family-building requests before they become unmanageable or irresponsible.
- After a single businessman asked for 200 kids cared for by his sister, Nathan Zhang limited clients to three children and no more than two simultaneous surrogacies.