Xavier Niel’s biography, fact, career, awards, net worth & life story

• Source of Wealth: Internet, Telecom
• Age: 52
• Birth Place: Maisons-Alfort, France
• Nationality: French
• Date of Birth: August 25,1967
• Occupation: Telecom Entrepreneur
• Children: 1 (Elisa)

Xavier Niel is a French entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $4.22 billion. He is the founder and majority shareholder of Iliad, a French internet service provider and mobile operator. It trades under the Free brand (France’s second-largest ISP, and third mobile operator). He actually holds 63.93% of the total capital share. He is also the co-owner of the newspaper Le Monde while he also co-owns the rights of the song “My Way”. He owns Monaco Telecom as well. Currently, he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors for Iliad while he is actively involved in technology and telecommunications industry in the country.

Niel started developing telecommunication and data services at a very young age. His entrepreneurial career began when he received a Sinclair ZX81 computer as a birthday present.

At the age of 19, he was able to create his first company which he sold later on, the Minitel. The company specializes on providing sex oriented chat services. In 1995, he invested in World-net, the first French internet service provider which was later sold before the internet bubble existed. In 1999, he built FREE, which is an internet provider in France that offers broadband package for as low as 29.99 euros per month.