Carlos Slim and Bill Gates are connected through philanthropy, a historical overlap as investors in Spain’s FCC, and years of competition for the title of the world’s richest person. Their relationship is better described as one of professional respect and selective collaboration than as a personal or business rivalry.
The two billionaires have worked toward similar goals in public health and agricultural development, particularly through the Carlos Slim Foundation and the Gates Foundation. They have also appeared together at major development initiatives in Mexico and Central America, while their fortunes repeatedly crossed paths in global billionaire rankings.
What Connects Carlos Slim and Bill Gates?
The Carlos Slim and Bill Gates connection has several distinct parts. They have collaborated philanthropically, held significant interests in the same publicly traded company, and spent years being compared because their fortunes were so close.
| Connection | Carlos Slim | Bill Gates |
|---|---|---|
| Main source of fortune | Telecom, Grupo Carso and other investments | Microsoft and diversified investments |
| Major charitable organization | Carlos Slim Foundation | Gates Foundation |
| Joint health work | Salud Mesoamérica | Salud Mesoamérica |
| Agricultural development | Support for CIMMYT | Support for CIMMYT |
| FCC connection | Became its leading controlling investor | Historically held a significant stake through Gates linked entities |
| Richest person rivalry | Forbes No. 1 from 2010 through 2013 annual lists | Regained the annual No. 1 position in 2014 |
| Relationship | Philanthropic collaborator and fellow investor | Philanthropic collaborator and fellow investor |
Importantly, there is no evidence that Slim and Gates created a major company together or formed a broad commercial partnership. Their documented cooperation has primarily involved charitable projects, development programs and, for a period, overlapping investments.
Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Worked Together on Public Health
One of the clearest examples of cooperation between the two men came through the Salud Mesoamérica initiative, a regional health program focused on poorer communities in Central America and southern Mexico.
Salud Mesoamérica
The initiative was announced in Mexico City in June 2010 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carlos Slim Health Institute, the government of Spain and the Inter-American Development Bank, or IDB. Its original objective was to reduce health inequalities affecting the poorest 20 percent of the population in the region.
At its launch, the Gates Foundation, Carlos Slim Health Institute and Spanish government each committed $50 million, creating an initial donor pool of $150 million administered by the IDB. The program targeted areas including maternal and newborn health, nutrition, vaccinations and the control of diseases such as malaria and dengue.
The initiative later evolved and expanded. The IDB says Salud Mesoamérica has worked across Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Mexican state of Chiapas, reaching about 1.8 million women, children and adolescents. A recent independent evaluation cited by the IDB found substantial improvements in several measures of maternal and neonatal care.
This was not simply a situation in which Slim and Gates supported the same general cause. Their foundations were formal funding partners in the same regional program.
Their Agricultural Partnership Through CIMMYT
Agriculture created another major point of cooperation.
In February 2013, Slim and Gates appeared together at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known as CIMMYT, near Mexico City for the inauguration of a new biosciences complex. The advanced research facility cost about $25 million.
The financial roles require an important distinction. CIMMYT said the new buildings were the result of investment by the Carlos Slim Foundation, while the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was already partnering with CIMMYT on agricultural projects aimed at fighting hunger and improving conditions for farmers.
The complex was designed to accelerate research into maize and wheat traits such as drought tolerance, heat tolerance, disease resistance, seed health and nutritional quality.
Bill Gates also wrote publicly about his relationship with Slim during the trip. He said he had enjoyed getting to know Slim, discussing his business insights and hearing his thoughts about the future of Latin America. Gates specifically highlighted the earlier Salud Mesoamérica collaboration between their foundations.
That account provides unusually direct evidence of a cordial professional relationship rather than the hostile rivalry sometimes suggested by headlines comparing their fortunes.
Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Also Backed the Fight Against Polio
Their charitable interests overlapped again in global vaccination.
In April 2013, the Carlos Slim Foundation announced a $100 million commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The funding supported an international plan intended to eradicate polio, alongside commitments from the Gates Foundation and other governments and donors.
Gates publicly welcomed Slim’s commitment at the time.
This should not be described as a private $100 million deal between Gates and Slim. The money went to the broader international polio initiative. It does, however, demonstrate how their philanthropic activities repeatedly converged on the same global health priorities.
Did Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Do Business Together?
There was one particularly notable commercial overlap: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, commonly known as FCC, the Spanish infrastructure, environmental services and water group.
Bill Gates became a major FCC shareholder first. In October 2013, an entity controlled by Gates acquired approximately 6 percent of FCC for €113.5 million, making him one of the company’s largest shareholders at the time.
Carlos Slim entered later during FCC’s financial restructuring. In late 2014, a company controlled by the Slim family participated in a €1 billion capital increase and emerged with approximately 25.6 percent of FCC, becoming its leading shareholder. FCC’s own reporting noted that the company consequently counted Carlos Slim and Bill Gates among its major investors.
FCC’s 2021 annual report still listed William H. Gates III with a 5.73 percent interest, while Slim controlled substantial holdings both personally and through related entities.
The structure later changed. FCC’s corporate presentation for 2023 identified Melinda French Gates with approximately 4.2 percent as another relevant shareholder rather than listing Bill Gates in that position.
Meanwhile, Slim’s influence over FCC has continued. FCC’s June 2026 shareholders’ meeting referred directly to the group operating under Carlos Slim’s leadership, and FCC currently lists Slim as a proprietary director.
So, Slim and Gates were unquestionably important shareholders in the same company for years. That does not mean they operated FCC as business partners in the conventional sense. There is no strong evidence that the investment was planned jointly.
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Were Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Really Rivals?
They were financial rivals in billionaire rankings, but there is little evidence of a personal feud.
Carlos Slim’s rise was closely linked to the expansion and market value of América Móvil, his Latin American telecommunications business. In Forbes’ 2010 billionaire rankings, Slim overtook Gates and became the world’s richest person. Forbes estimated Slim’s fortune at $53.5 billion at that point.
Slim remained No. 1 on Forbes’ annual global billionaire ranking through 2013. That year’s list estimated Slim at $73 billion and Gates at $67 billion.
Their rankings then began moving rapidly as stock markets changed.
Gates passed Slim in Forbes’ real time calculations in May 2013, helped by stronger Microsoft shares and weakness in América Móvil. On Forbes’ 2014 annual list, Gates was again No. 1 at about $76 billion while Slim ranked second at approximately $72 billion.
Slim temporarily moved ahead again in Forbes’ real time ranking in July 2014 after América Móvil shares climbed, illustrating how quickly the apparent “rivalry” could change because of market movements rather than anything either man personally did to the other.
The richest person timeline
| Period | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Gates was No. 1 on Forbes’ annual ranking |
| 2010 | Slim overtook Gates |
| 2011 | Slim remained No. 1 |
| 2012 | Slim remained No. 1 |
| 2013 | Slim remained No. 1 on the annual list |
| May 2013 | Gates passed Slim in Forbes’ real time tracking |
| 2014 annual list | Gates ranked No. 1, Slim No. 2 |
| July 2014 | Slim briefly moved ahead again in real time estimates |
The word “rivalry” therefore refers mainly to wealth rankings. Publicly available evidence instead shows the two men cooperating on development projects and speaking respectfully about one another.
Who Is Richer, Carlos Slim or Bill Gates, in 2026?
As of September 21, 2026, Forbes’ real time estimates put Carlos Slim and his family slightly ahead of Bill Gates.
| Person | Forbes estimated net worth | Global rank on September 21, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Slim Helú & family | $118.9 billion | No. 15 |
| Bill Gates | $114.4 billion | No. 18 |
Forbes identifies telecom as the main source of Slim’s fortune and Microsoft as the original source of Gates’ wealth.
These numbers are estimates rather than fixed bank balances. Billionaire fortunes can move by billions of dollars as stock prices, currencies and the estimated value of private investments change.
How Carlos Slim Built His Fortune
Carlos Slim Helú was born in Mexico City in 1940 and studied civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He began building his business interests decades before becoming internationally known as a telecom billionaire. His investments expanded through sectors including real estate, retail, mining, finance, construction and telecommunications.
The most important modern component of the Slim family fortune is América Móvil, one of Latin America’s largest telecommunications companies. Forbes also notes that Slim and his family control major interests in Grupo Carso, while his broader business interests have included infrastructure, financial services, mining, property and consumer businesses.
His investment approach has historically involved acquiring assets and companies he considered undervalued. Gates himself once compared Slim’s ability to identify undervalued investments with Warren Buffett’s approach.
How Bill Gates Built His Fortune
Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 as the personal computer industry was beginning to expand. Microsoft ultimately became one of the world’s dominant software companies through products including MS-DOS, Windows and its business software ecosystem.
Gates gradually stepped away from Microsoft’s daily operations and moved his attention toward philanthropy. Microsoft confirmed that he transitioned out of his day-to-day role in 2008 and left the company’s board in 2020.
His current fortune is no longer simply the value of a huge Microsoft stake. Forbes estimates that Gates now owns less than 1 percent of Microsoft after decades of share sales and charitable transfers. Forbes also reported in September 2026 that he had donated more than $63.9 billion to the Gates Foundation.
In 2025, Gates announced plans to give virtually all of his remaining wealth to the Gates Foundation over the following two decades, with the foundation scheduled to close at the end of 2045.
Are Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Friends?
There is evidence of a warm professional relationship, but describing them as close personal friends would go beyond what reliable public information establishes.
Gates wrote in 2013 that he had enjoyed getting to know Slim and valued conversations with him about business trends and Latin America’s future. They have also attended events together and their foundations have collaborated on major programs.
What is documented is mutual professional respect and philanthropic cooperation. Claims about a deeper private friendship should be treated cautiously unless either man provides additional information.
What Is the Most Important Carlos Slim and Bill Gates Connection?
The most consequential connection is probably their philanthropic work rather than their billionaire ranking competition.
Salud Mesoamérica placed their foundations inside the same structured public health partnership. CIMMYT brought them together around agricultural science and food security. Their support for global vaccination efforts put them on the same side of international health campaigns.
Their overlapping investment in FCC adds an interesting business dimension, but available evidence does not show a broad commercial alliance between the two.
The famous “Slim versus Gates” story therefore captures only part of their relationship. They competed on financial rankings while simultaneously supporting several of the same international development goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Carlos Slim and Bill Gates business partners?
Not in the traditional sense. They were significant shareholders in Spanish company FCC at the same time, but there is no verified evidence that they jointly founded or broadly operated a business together. Their strongest documented partnership has been through philanthropy.
What projects have Carlos Slim and Bill Gates worked on together?
Their foundations have supported the Salud Mesoamérica health initiative and agricultural research connected with CIMMYT. They have also backed international health efforts such as polio eradication, although those programs involved many other donors and organizations.
Did Carlos Slim overtake Bill Gates as the world’s richest person?
Yes. Slim overtook Gates on Forbes’ annual billionaire list in 2010 and remained No. 1 through the 2013 annual ranking. Gates returned to the top of the annual list in 2014.
Who is richer now, Carlos Slim or Bill Gates?
Forbes estimated Carlos Slim and his family at $118.9 billion and Bill Gates at $114.4 billion on September 21, 2026. The estimates change frequently with financial markets.
Did Bill Gates and Carlos Slim own the same company?
They both held major stakes in FCC. Gates related entities acquired roughly 6 percent in 2013, and Slim became the company’s leading shareholder after a major capital increase in 2014. The ownership structure later changed, including the appearance of Melinda French Gates as a relevant shareholder in FCC disclosures.
Are Carlos Slim and Bill Gates enemies or personal rivals?
There is no credible evidence of personal hostility. Their “rivalry” largely came from media coverage of their changing positions on billionaire rankings. Gates has publicly written positively about Slim and their philanthropic cooperation.
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