About Carlos
Carlos Slim was born in Mexico City in 1940 to Lebanese immigrant parents and trained as a civil engineer before moving into business and investing in the 1960s. He built the conglomerate Grupo Carso through the 1980s, buying into candy, tires, mining, construction, retail, and banking while foreign investors were pulling money out of Mexico's troubled economy.
His defining move came in 1990, when he led a consortium with SBC and France Télécom that bought the newly privatized national phone company Telmex for $1.76 billion. He later won management control of Telmex outright, and in 2000 relaunched its mobile arm as América Móvil, which grew into the largest mobile-phone operator in Latin America.
Key Facts
- Born in Mexico City in 1940 to Lebanese immigrant parents.
- Led the 1990 consortium that bought the privatized Telmex for $1.76 billion.
- Controls América Móvil, Latin America's largest mobile operator.
- Long Mexico's richest person, and consistently one of the world's wealthiest.
Net Worth History
| Date | World Rank | Net Worth |
|---|---|---|
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B | |
| #13 | $100.00B |
Carlos's Journey
The milestones that built the fortune — from the early days to today.
| Year | Milestone | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Began investing | Started building a personal investment portfolio in Mexican businesses in his mid-20s. |
| 1980s | Built Grupo Carso | Assembled the holding company Grupo Carso by buying into Mexican businesses across candy, tires, mining, construction, and retail. |
| 1990 | Bought Telmex | Led a consortium with SBC and France Télécom that purchased Mexico's newly privatized national phone company for $1.76 billion, later winning management control. |
| 2000 | Launched América Móvil | Relaunched Telmex's mobile arm, Telcel, as América Móvil, expanding telecom operations across Latin America and the Caribbean. |
| Today | Ranked #13 in the world | Carlos's net worth is an estimated $100.00B, updated in real time from public holdings. |
More on Carlos
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Net worth is an estimate derived from public stock holdings plus a static estimate for private assets — directional, not audited, and not affiliated with Forbes. Biographical details are curated from public reporting and may go out of date.