Quick Info
| Profession | Telecommunications entrepreneur and investor |
|---|---|
| Nationality | French |
| Date of Birth | 25/08/1967 |
| Age | 59 years |
| Birthplace | Maisons-Alfort, France |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
Latest News about Xavier Niel
31/10/2026
India's Competition Commission approved Xavier Niel's plan to acquire a 16.2% stake in Vodafone Group for about £4.4 billion, bought through his family investment vehicle Vega SAS. The deal was first announced in July 2026, and Niel has said he does not plan to bid for the rest of Vodafone.
13/05/2026
Niel sold most of his roughly 6% holding in the Belgian telecom operator Proximus, reducing it to less than 1%. The exit followed his unsuccessful attempt to take control of the company, which the Belgian government, the largest shareholder, refused to support.
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Bio/Wiki
| Summary | Xavier Niel is a French billionaire entrepreneur and investor who founded the telecommunications group Iliad and its Free brand in France. He is also known for building the 42 coding school and the Station F startup campus in Paris. |
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| Early Life | Niel was raised in a middle-class family and taught himself programming, starting with a Sinclair ZX81. He began his business life in the Minitel services sector in the late 1980s. |
Educational Qualification(s)
| Formal Education | Left school and later college without completing a degree; largely self-taught in programming |
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| Institutions Founded | 42 (free coding school, launched 2013) |
Personal Life
| Residence | Paris, France |
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Relationships & More
| Partner | Delphine Arnault, executive vice president at Louis Vuitton, in a long-term domestic partnership since around 2011 |
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Family
| Father | Michel Niel |
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| Mother | Camille Fernande Perrot |
| Sibling | Veronique |
| Children with partner |
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| Older sons from a previous relationship |
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Career
| Founded his first company, a Minitel services business, at about age 19 and later sold it | |
| Acquired Fermic Multimedia, a Minitel software company | |
| Founded Free, a discount internet service provider, which became part of the Iliad group | |
| Launched the Freebox triple-play box | |
| Joined with partners to take a controlling stake in the Le Monde newspaper group | |
| Launched 42, a free coding school | |
| Co-founded Station F, a startup campus in Paris | |
| Acquired Groupe Nice-Matin through his personal holding | |
| Joined the board of ByteDance | |
| Agreed to buy a 16.2% holding in Vodafone Group through the family vehicle Vega SAS; the Indian competition regulator approved the purchase on 31/10/2026, and the stake would make him Vodafone's largest shareholder once the deal closes | |
| Current Roles | Founder, majority shareholder and chairman of Iliad; board member of KKR |
|---|---|
| 2026 (May) | Sold most of his stake in the Belgian operator Proximus after a takeover bid was rebuffed by the Belgian government |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Dropped out of school at age 16 to start his first business | |
| 2. Was convicted in a case involving undeclared cash earnings from Paris and Strasbourg adult shops and fined 250,000 euros | |
| 3. Holds investments through his personal vehicle NJJ Holding, set up in 2010 | |
| 4. Helped create the Freebox, which combined internet, telephone and television |
