Carlos Slim is world's richest man. The richest man in the world remains Carlos Slim, according to Forbes magazine's list of billionaires. The number of billionaires increased by 199 in the past year, according to the magazine, but it was the Mexican telecom magnate Slim, who kept the No. 1 spot for the second year by increasing his worth by $20.5 billion to $74 billion.
Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, who is worth $56 billion, is No. 2 on the list. Investor Warren Buffet comes in at No.3 with a net worth of $50 billion.
The fastest growing net worth belongs to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who more than tripled his wealth to $13.5 billion, putting him at the No. 52 position on the list, the magazine reported.
How Carlos Slim made his fortune?
Slim had a pretty cushy life growing up, his father became wealthy by working as a real estate salesman. After graduating with a degree in engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Slim began investing in multiple businesses throughout Mexico. Soon, these businesses became the base of his conglomerate Grupo Carso.
It turns out, the economic crash of 1982 was a good for Slim because during that time period he was able to crack into billionaire status. By using some business tactics and savvy negotiating Slim was able to purchase companies at extremely low prices and have a say in their various interests. With strong management skills Slim was able to increase their value exponentially in the next ten years.
Carlos Slim Helú made a great portion of his earnings with his ownership of Teléfonos de México or Telmex. The money earned from Telmex allowed him to broaden his scope to technology and U.S. firms. When Telmex was privatized Slim was able to strengthen the monopoly and increase his earnings. This year, Slim was reported as having a $74 billion net worth which is a $20.5 billion increase from last year.