Carlos Slim: The Numbers Genius Who Built an Empire
About this episode
The episode explores Carlos Slim's rise to wealth and the controversies surrounding his business practices.
This is a guy whose father fled Lebanon with almost nothing and today is worth $120 billion. I examine how he built his fortune buying up distressed businesses during Mexico's economic collapse of the 1980s, and how a controversial privatisation deal for the national phone company turned him into the richest man in the world. I also look at the huge criticism he's faced for monopolistic practices that cost ordinary Mexicans billions and also held back the development of an entire country, and how he's used that fortune combined with this intrinsic and intangible gift for numbers to make savvy investments in everything from Apple to the New York Times. It's a cracking story — enjoy.
More episodes of Great Business Stories
- BlockBuster: The Men & Moments Behind Its Rise and Fall
- CZ and Binance: The Man Who Built Crypto's Biggest Empire
- Hyundai Part 1: Chung Ju-yung, The Founder
- Calvin Klein:An American Icon
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Great Business Stories podcast page.