Overview of Fertility Inc.: One Dad, One Hundred Babies
This Wall Street Journal / Spotify Studios episode (part of the Fertility Inc. investigation) examines a surprising corner of the international surrogacy market: ultra‑wealthy foreign parents—particularly some Chinese clients—using U.S. clinics, agencies, and lawyers to build very large families via surrogacy. The story centers on a tech entrepreneur known as Shu(·)Bo, whose repeated parentage petitions in Los Angeles revealed he had dozens (reports vary from dozens to 100+) of children born or in process via surrogate, provoking a judge to deny parentage petitions and raising broader legal, ethical, and regulatory concerns.
Key points and main takeaways
- International surrogacy in the U.S. is booming: ~40% of U.S. surrogacies are for foreign parents, and ~40% of those are for Chinese clients.
- Wealthy overseas clients can assemble a chain of services (overseas gamete/embryo creation, U.S. IVF clinics, California surrogates, lawyers, “baby couriers” and nannies) that makes mass surrogacy feasible—even without the parents ever being present in the U.S.
- Typical cost per child through this pipeline is roughly $150,000–$200,000.
- There is no comprehensive federal regulation of surrogacy in the U.S.; industry guidelines (e.g., limiting multiple simultaneous surrogacies) are nonbinding.
- The case of Shu Bo (a Chinese game entrepreneur): clerks flagged repeated parentage petitions, a judge (Amy Pellman) held a hearing and denied parentage petitions after troubling answers; the legal fate of unborn/soon‑to‑be‑born children became uncertain.
- Social media and public records linked to Shu Bo indicate a goal of creating a very large brood (claims vary widely); some posts attributed to him contain misogynistic language and praise for entrepreneurs with large families (e.g., Elon Musk).
- In the absence of clear regulation, the fertility industry can become a “playground for the rich,” enabling extreme personal desires that raise questions about child welfare and parental responsibility.
How the international surrogacy pipeline works (concise)
- Gametes or embryos can be created outside the U.S. (e.g., Hong Kong, Japan), then shipped to a U.S. IVF clinic.
- A U.S.-based surrogate (often in permissive states such as California) carries the pregnancy.
- After birth, “credentialed” couriers, nannies or people with power of attorney may pick up infants at the hospital and care for multiple surrogate‑born babies in a home while travel documents are prepared.
- Once travel paperwork is ready, nannies accompany the child back to the parent’s home country. By virtue of birth in the U.S., the child is also a U.S. citizen (14th Amendment).
The Shu Bo case (details)
- Los Angeles family court clerks noticed his name on multiple parentage petitions; initially flagged for 12 children (4 pending + 8 existing/in process); later claims and social posts suggested many more—records and claims vary (company says ~100, ex‑girlfriend claimed 300+).
- In a remote hearing, Shu Bo expressed desire for many children (reportedly up to 20, and preference for sons), and admitted limited personal involvement so far — answers that concerned the judge.
- Judge Amy Pellman denied at least some parentage petitions. Without an order of parentage, newborns’ legal custody could fall into limbo (social services or foster care risks).
- Shu Bo’s company publicly disputed aspects of reporting and denied some social accounts were his; nevertheless, accounts linked to him show videos of large groups of healthy children calling him “Dad.”
Industry players, practices, and loopholes
- Concierge firms (like the one run by Nathan Zhang) connect international clients to U.S. clinics, egg/sperm sources, agencies and lawyers.
- The absence of federal regulation means state law, private agency policies, and attorney practices largely govern outcomes.
- Some agencies and lawyers reportedly will cater to extreme requests from wealthy clients—unless they adopt restrictive internal policies (some providers now refuse more than two simultaneous surrogacies).
- “Baby couriers,” nannies, and power-of-attorney arrangements are routinely used to transfer newborns to parents abroad.
Legal, ethical, and child‑welfare concerns
- No federal law directly limits how many children a person can commission via surrogacy; eligibility is largely private/contractual.
- Risks to child welfare include reduced parental attention, commodification of children, and potential for newborns to be left in legal limbo if parentage orders are denied or delayed.
- Surrogates may be misled about how many children a client is having or how involved the parent will be.
- Cross‑border logistics create complex nationality, custody, and trafficking‑adjacent risks if paperwork or parentage orders fail.
- Nonbinding professional recommendations (like capping simultaneous surrogacies) exist but are unevenly followed.
Notable quotes / soundbites
- “If people don't have more children, civilization is going to crumble.” — Elon Musk (quoted as an inspiration for some clients).
- “For the IVF, the clinical side, the U.S. is like the NBA in the basketball field.” — Nathan Zhang, on why international clients prefer U.S. clinics.
- From episode teaser about the next story: “We are going to edit an embryo.” — highlighting another frontier in fertility tech (genetic editing).
Recommendations / things to watch
- Policy: Expect growing calls for clearer federal or state rules covering cross‑border surrogacy, limits on multiple simultaneous surrogacies, and better safeguards for children and surrogates.
- Clinics & agencies: Watch for more provider-level limits and due‑diligence practices (e.g., caps on simultaneous births for a single parent, transparency with surrogates).
- Reporting: Follow Los Angeles court outcomes and any refiled petitions in other jurisdictions; cases like Shu Bo’s may prompt regulatory and legal scrutiny.
- Ethics debates: Monitor public discourse on commodification of children, reproductive tourism, and the intersection of wealth, technology, and family formation.
Sources & credits
- Reporting and production: The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios; investigative reporting by Catherine Long (and colleagues Ben Foldy, Lingling Wei), episode hosted by Ryan Knudson.
- Key interviewees referenced: Catherine Long (reporter), Nathan Zhang (concierge for Chinese clients), and coverage of Judge Amy Pellman’s ruling.