Age, Biography and Wiki
| Birth Day | August 25, 1967 |
| Birth Place | Paris, France, France |
| Age | 56 YEARS OLD |
| Birth Sign | Virgo |
| Residence | Domaine du Lys-Chantilly, Oise, France |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder and majority shareholder of Iliad |
| Title | Chief strategy officer, Iliad |
| Partner(s) | Delphine Arnault |
| Children | 3 |
Net worth: $6.7 Billion (2024)
Xavier Niel, widely recognized as a prominent figure in the telecommunications industry in France, is projected to have a net worth of $6.7 billion in 2024. Having made significant contributions to the growth and development of the telecommunications sector, Niel's success and wealth can be attributed to his ventures in various companies in the industry. As the founder of Iliad SA, the parent company of Free Mobile, he has revolutionized the French telecommunications market, offering affordable and accessible services to millions of users. Niel’s entrepreneurial prowess has undoubtedly played a significant role in accumulating his substantial net worth.
Biography/Timeline
After taking over a company subsequently renamed Iliad, Xavier Niel launched in 1996 the 1st reversed directory Service on the Minitel. This Service is still responsible for 1 million euros of revenue per year for Iliad. Niel remains Iliad’s majority shareholder, holding 63.93% of the share capital.
In 1999, he created Free, a French Internet Service provider. The name came from the fact that modem access was really free, which caused some stir among other (non-free) French Internet providers, as well as it raised some questions about Free's Business model. In 2002, Free launched a broadband package at a low price (€29.99 per month), which became the benchmark in the market. At the same time, Free developed and launched the Freebox: the first triple-play multi-service box in France. The free modem Service had brought to the company a strong potential customers portfolio, many of them switching to the broadband for the sake of comfort.
On 28 May 2004, Xavier Niel was indicted and detained for a month for alleged procuring and misuse of company assets, which occurred in several sex shops in which he was a shareholder. On 30 August 2005, a Nolle prosequi was pronounced for the procuring part of his indictment, while on 13 October 2006, he was given a 2 years suspended prison sentence for the misuse of company assets.
In late 2010 Niel was a member of a group of Investors which acquired a controlling stake in the newspaper Le Monde.
In 2012, he created Free Mobile, which revolutionizes mobile telephony in France, with a 25 US$ plan, including unlimited voice calls, text and data (3G/4G).
In 2013, Niel created a school named 42, which is a free tech school with no teachers, no books, no tuition for 1000 people every year.
As of April 2018, his net worth is estimated at US$9.6 billion.
Some Xavier Niel images
