Carlos Slim

Carlos Slim Helú (Mexico City 1940 - ) Mexican businessman; according to Forbes World's Second-Richest Man. His biggest holding is wireless operator America Movil; He also has the holding Carso Global Telecom, Grupo Financiero Inbursa and US Commercial Corp. Grupo Carso is involved in a wide variety of economic activities, ranging from telecommunications to retail sales.

Slim gained notoriety when in 1990 he led a group of investors in buying the state-owned Telmex, a telephone company in Mexico.

The Mexican magnate's rising fortune has caused a good deal of controversy because it has been amassed in a nation where per capita income is less than $6,800 a year and half the population lives in poverty. Critics claim he is a monopolist, pointing to Telmex’s control of 90% of the Mexican landline telephone market.... Carlos Slim says that his biggest concern is using his wealth to help solve Mexico's social ills... "Poverty isn’t solved with donations," he reportedly said, adding that building businesses often does more for society than "going around like Santa Claus." (1). "I think that what Gates has done is good, and above all, because he said he would devote full time to this, and half time to Microsoft, which makes time-and-a-half," he quipped. (2).

By profession, Carlos Slim is an engineer from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He graduated in 1961. He has several international Awards. Carlos Slim married Soumaya Domit Gemayel, in 1966; he has six sons and daughters: Carlos, Marco Antonio, Patricio, Soumaya, Vanessa y Johanna. His Mexico City mansion is full of antique books and baseball memorabilia.

Carlos Slim opened a public museum for his $100 million art collection. At present he devotes more time to the charitable foundations that he created.

See also

• Debate:Does "free trade" increase wealth rather than simply redistribute it?
• Economics Lecture Ten Antitrust Laws.
• Bill Gates

External links

• TELMEX
• Slim in Spanish.

References

• (1) Carlos Slim Forbes.com (04.11.07).
• (2) Carlos Slim By MARK STEVENSON, Breitbart.com, Mar 13, 2007.