Carlos Slim (b. 1940)

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Biography

Carlos Slim Helú is a Mexican business oligarch, investor and philanthropist. From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world by Forbes business magazine. He derived his fortune from his extensive holdings in a considerable number of Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso. As of July 2025, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranked him as the 18th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$99.1 billion, making him the richest person in Latin America.

Timeline

The story of Carlos Slim, told in moments.

1965 Life

Earned a civil engineering degree from UNAM and started buying distressed businesses. By age 25, he was already worth $40 million in today's dollars.

Was $40 million at twenty-five from buying distressed businesses genius or luck? Is civil engineering the right training for a financier?

1990 Event

Purchased Telmex, Mexico's national telephone company, during a wave of privatization for $400 million. The deal became the foundation of the largest fortune in Latin America.

Was buying Telmex for $400 million the deal of the century? Did privatization give you an unfair advantage?

2010 Event

Forbes ranked him the richest person in the world, overtaking Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. His fortune: $53.5 billion.

What does being the richest person in the world feel like? Did overtaking Gates and Buffett matter to you personally?

2015 Event

Became the largest non-family shareholder of The New York Times Company, investing $250 million through his foundation. He owned 17.4% of the newspaper's shares.

Why buy 17.4% of the New York Times? Is saving journalism philanthropy or strategy?

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