Billionaire Carlos Slim, Mexico’s Richest Person, Diagnosed With Covid-19

Mexico’s richest person, Carlos Slim Helu, has had Covid-19 for a week, his spokesperson confirmed Monday. Slim, who will turn 81 on January 28, has taken a turn for the better, the spokesman added. Mexican newspaper Reforma initially reported the news, citing Slim’s son Carlos Slim Domit as the source.

News of Slim’s condition comes one day after Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, announced via Twitter that he had contracted Covid-19, had mild symptoms and planned to continue working. Mexico has faced a growing number of deaths from the coronavirus as President Lopez Obrador has reportedly downplayed the threat from the virus. 

Forbes currently estimates Slim’s fortune at $59.9 billion, which makes him the 21st richest person in the world. His most valuable asset is his stake in America Movil, a pan-Latin American mobile telecom firm.

Slim first appeared on Forbes’ list of billionaires in 1991 with a fortune of $1.7 billion based mainly on his Grupo Carso stake. His most notable success began with the privatization of state-owned phone company Telmex in 1990, led by his industrial conglomerate Grupo Carso, alongside France Telecom and Southwestern Bell (now part of AT&T). In 2011, Telmex became part of America Movil, which started out as Telmex’s mobile arm. His net worth surged as America Movil acquired mobile phone network operators in Central America and South America – by 2012 it was in 18 countries.

In 2012, when Slim was the world’s richest person —worth $69 billion—and Forbes put him on the cover, his 43% stake in America Movil was worth $39 billion. America Movil’s stock has drifted down about 15% in the past year; today that stake is worth about $27 billion.

Either way, Slim told Forbes that his life hadn’t changed. Like Warren Buffett, he’s lived in the same house for much of his adult life. “My bachelor house was better than where I have lived for 40 years,” he said in 2012. We have to trust him on that one. No matter what, it’s likely that Slim is getting the best medical care that money can buy.