How Carlos Slim Built the Fortune
Carlos Slim is worth an estimated $100.00B today — #13 on the world's rich list. Mexican business magnate who controls América Móvil, Latin America's largest mobile operator, along with a sprawling conglomerate spanning banking, retail, and infrastructure.
The fortune didn't appear overnight. The first milestone on the public record came at age 25: began investing. Everything after that is a chain of documented decisions — this is that chain, year by year.
The Milestones
1965: Began investing
at age 25Started 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
at age 50Led 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
at age 60Relaunched Telmex's mobile arm, Telcel, as América Móvil, expanding telecom operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today: #13 in the world
Carlos's net worth is an estimated $100.00B, updated in real time from public holdings. See the live number →
Milestones are drawn from widely-reported public history; ages are computed from the birth year and can be off by one depending on the month. Net worth is our real-time estimate.