Xavier Niel
Xavier Niel
Xavier Nielis a French entrepreneur and businessman, active in the telecommunications and technology industry and best known as founder and majority shareholder of the French Internet service provider and Mobile operator Iliad trading under the Free brand. He is also co-owner of the newspaper Le Monde, and co-owner of the rights of the song "My Way" and owner of Monaco Telecom. He currently acts as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors & Chief Strategy Officer for Iliad...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth25 August 1967
CountryFrance
From France, you can call anywhere in the world for free. Americans can't do that!
Each week I try to have three lunches with my children, one working lunch, and one lunch with mates.
Countries like France should not be naive. We don't have a French YouTube or Amazon or Netflix.
YouTube is a problem. It has very big traffic, but it refuses to contribute to the weight of that traffic.
A free, analytical and questioning press must be helped survive.
France is a fantastic country. It's between the Anglo-Saxon and Latin cultures. We have some of the Anglo-Saxon rigor, and some of the Latin quirkiness.
Telecoms is a national business. There isn't a European market. There's no Telecom Italia in France.
It's funny how the smallest things I've done speak the loudest about me, but I like that.
If you know how to make software, then you can create big things.
I'm not unusual; it's the others who are strange.
I once said, 'Steve Jobs is the American Xavier Niel,' but that was humour.
I made a lot of money, and I want to give something back to my country.
I like being an outsider. It is better in France on the outside.
I know one business, and that's how to make software.