A California woman signed up to be a surrogate after spotting an Instagram ad offering $120,000. She believed she was helping a single father build a family. Then a CBS News investigation handed her documents tying the intended parent to a reclusive Chinese gaming mogul reportedly linked to more than 100 American births.
The surrogate, identified only by the pseudonym Judy, was one of many women reportedly carrying children for the same intended parent. Her case sits at the center of a yearlong CBS News probe into how U.S. Surrogacy is sold, matched and explained.
Quick take
- Judy answered an Instagram ad offering $120,000 to become a surrogate.
- The agency, Patriot Conceptions, described the intended parent as a single father.
- Leaked documents obtained by CBS News identified him as Xu Bo, founder of Chinese gaming company Duoyi Network.
- Xu's company has previously said he has fathered more than 100 children through U.S. Surrogates.
- CBS News interviewed 32 surrogates for its investigation, and all of their embryo transfers occurred in California.
What Judy said she did not know
Judy is a single mother raising a 7-year-old daughter. The arrangement was, in her telling, about building a more secure future for her family. She told CBS News she was matched with an intended parent framed as a single father wanting to expand his family, and she signed on that basis.
The discovery rewrote the deal. Documents obtained by CBS News tied the intended parent to Xu Bo. Judy argued the agency should have been transparent from the start about who she was carrying for and what the family setup looked like. She asked to meet Xu at least five times and never got the meeting. Despite her concerns, she continued the pregnancy because of the contract she had signed and the pressure from friends and family.
Who Xu Bo is
Xu Bo is the founder and chairman of Chinese gaming company Duoyi Network. His alleged use of U.S. Surrogacy has drawn attention because of the sheer volume of children reportedly involved. His company has previously stated he has fathered more than 100 children through U.S. Surrogates. A former partner, Tang Jing, has said in media reports that the actual number could be higher, reportedly as high as 300. Xu has pushed back on the larger figures, telling a court he has custody of 12 children born through U.S. Surrogacy. On his own platforms, he has expressed pride in fathering a large brood.
Why this matters
This is not just one weird rich-guy story. It is a look at the plumbing of an industry that already runs largely outside of public view. CBS News found that all 32 surrogates it interviewed had embryo transfers done in California, even when the women themselves lived elsewhere. That detail alone points to a market that is concentrated, lightly regulated and very lucrative for the middlemen. Surrogates can sign agreements without knowing whether their intended parents have hired other women simultaneously. That is the structural gap Judy discovered the hard way. Other women told CBS News they learned the size of the network only after delivery or from outside reporting, not from the agency.
What it means for you
Say you or someone you know is even loosely considering surrogacy as a side income or a path to parenthood. The practical move is to push the agency on every layer of disclosure before signing: who the intended parent is, how many other surrogates they are working with, what happens if the number keeps growing, and what the meeting policy looks like in writing. Match fees and contract reviews need their own lawyer, not the agency's lawyer. That sounds expensive. So is the alternative.
What to watch next
Watch the regulatory response to CBS News's findings. Watch whether California tightens rules around embryo transfer concentration or disclosure rules for agencies. And watch the surrogate side: word of mouth moves fast in the industry, and stories like Judy's travel far.
Key takeaways
- Judy thought she was carrying for one single father; documents say otherwise.
- All 32 surrogates CBS interviewed had embryo transfers in California.
- The structural gap is disclosure, and agencies currently control it.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the surrogate at the center of the CBS News investigation?
She is identified by the pseudonym Judy, a single mother from California who answered an Instagram ad about surrogacy.
Who is the intended parent?
According to leaked documents obtained by CBS News, the intended parent is Xu Bo, founder of Chinese gaming company Duoyi Network.
How many children has Xu Bo reportedly fathered through U.S. Surrogates?
His company has previously stated the number is more than 100. A former partner has placed the figure higher, while Xu has disputed the larger counts and said he has custody of 12 children born through U.S. Surrogacy.
What was the agency's role?
The surrogate was matched through Patriot Conceptions, which she said described the intended parent as a single father.
What does the CBS News investigation say about the industry?
The investigation found that all 32 interviewed surrogates had embryo transfers in California, even when the women themselves lived in other states, surfacing concerns about disclosure and oversight.