Do we like them?Do we like Carlos Slim?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A clean record on harmful words and some real health giving, balanced by antitrust trouble, labour fights and heavy oil investment.
Slim is the son of Lebanese immigrants who built his fortune by buying shares cheaply during Mexico's 1982 downturn. Forbes named him the richest person in the world in 2010, and by 2016 he ranked fourth. His investments run across more than 200 companies in Mexico plus several US businesses, including a big stake in the New York Times at the time.
His telecom empire has had run-ins with regulators. In 2013 Mexico's competition commission fined Telmex about US$50 million and, according to Reuters-sourced reporting, overruled the company's appeal over claims it conspired to shut a competitor out. In January 2025 Elon Musk shared a post accusing Slim, without evidence, of links to drug cartels. President Claudia Sheinbaum called that false and said no investigation of Slim or his companies exists.
On the harm test, we found no anti-LGBTQ+, anti-women or anti-migrant words from him. In 2015 his company Ora TV scrapped a project with Donald Trump after Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants. In 2016 Trump accused Slim of backing a media smear against him, and Slim's spokesman called that false. The soft spot is oil: Bloomberg-sourced reports put his 2024 oil spending at about a billion dollars, a bet that fossil fuel demand will last.
He's also blunt on welfare. In September 2024 he called government spending on senior pensions “totally irrational” while saying six million Mexicans live in extreme poverty. Defenders see a case for jobs and growth; critics see a billionaire telling retirees to cope. Where you land depends on which reading you find fairer.
The recent news is mostly economic. In May 2026 he praised Sheinbaum's economic management, criticised Moody's downgrade, and said Pemex needs more production and investment. That's policy talk from a businessman, nothing scandalous.
The good stuff is real. His foundation pledged US$100 million in 2013 to the global polio eradication effort, and he said he hoped it would help improve life for children and parents. Health giving is where his charity record is strongest.