The wealthiest man in Mexico, Carlos Slim made his billions on the back of the privatization of the nation’s telecoms sector in the early 1990s.
The 84-year-old has continued adding to this enormous fortune by diversifying into dozens of other fields (construction, mining, media, finance, real estate, transportation, health), while savvily befriending Mexico’s presidents, regardless of their political leanings.
Arguably, Slim’s closest engagement with a chief executive has been with the current holder of the job: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. This bond between a capitalist mogul and a populist leftist seems unlikely, but the association appears to have borne fruit for both parties, although this week Slim sought to play down exactly how much he has benefitted from this partnership.
At a rare press conference, the magnate—whose assets reportedly amount to nearly US$11 billion (six percent of Mexico’s GDP)—touched on themes related to his businesses and their future, as well as his relationship with AMLO and some of their differences.
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