Tycoon Profiles: Carlos Slim Interview

I had read not all that long ago that Carlos Slim didn’t speak English, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that he does and quite well too.

Here is highlite from the interview. He repeats the fact that tycoons are driven by a need to build something great. It’s not about merely accumulating money quickly so as to be able to show off to anyone. That type of goal rarely works for anyone.

Larry King: Was your goal money?

Carlos Slim: Excuse me?

Larry King: Was your goal to make money? Is that your goal?

Carlos Slim: I think it’s not a goal. It’s not the money the goal. The goal is to make companies grow, develop, be competitive, be in different areas, be very efficient, to have a great human theme inside the companies.

Look for the human development of the people of the companies because you cannot do anything without human capital, without your human team. We were talking about how many people were with us, but there are the managers that are critical to that that has begin working in the company and grow and develop to achieve and success being in high-level management places.

And, now, the goal is well by one side, I think that wealth should be best to create more wealth. That there are — the fruit of wealth — the fruit of wealth is income. And it’s important to develop the distribution of income. The distribution of income it comes mainly by employment and second, by the money that goes to the government, like taxes and the investment of the governments and the social expenses of the government. And that’s the — a question, I think, is employment but to have public money coming from the taxes we pay for health, education, and other circumstance for social support, but, mainly, the nutrition of the mother pregnant, the health and the education. And that’s very important like a basis, like a fundamental.

But at the end of the day, employment, is the most important thing. As much education you have, you are a better alternative, you are a better offer to have different jobs.

You can read the full transcript here.