Who is Xavier Niel? French billionaire to acquire 16.2% stake in Vodafone in a ₹54,103 cr deal | All you need to know
French billionaire Xavier Niel received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Friday to acquire a 16.2% stake in UK-based telecom giant Vodafone Group.
According to PTI, under the approximately €5.1 billion agreement, Niel’s family investment vehicle, Vega SAS, will acquire the stake from Emirates Telecommunications Group Co PJSC. Once the acquisition is completed, Vega SAS is likely to become Vodafone’s single largest shareholder.
Iliad founder Niel is acquiring the stake through Vega SAS, which is fully owned by Maya SAS, a company registered in France.
According to Bloomberg, he was born in Creteil, France, on 25 August 1967, to a father who studied law and medicine and a mother who supported the family as an accountant. Niel grew up in a middle-class suburb of Paris and developed an interest in computer hacking after receiving an Apple II at 16. He used his computing skills to build adult chat services and France’s first reverse directory, earning his first fortune while still a teenager. He did not complete higher education, leaving a mathematics course that prepared students for France’s elite universities at 20 and launching an adult chat and dating service on Minitel, the country’s precursor to the internet.
According to Fortune, he once hacked into the phone of the then French president to demonstrate weak security. He launched Free in 1999, offering internet services and later a mobile phone plan. He attracted millions of customers by offering telecom services at lower prices than established French operators under the Free brand.
Since taking Iliad private in 2021, Niel has held a 96% stake in the company. Iliad generates €10 billion in revenue and accounts for most of his fortune. His other investments have also drawn public attention. These include a stake in French newspaper Le Monde, co-ownership of Paris-based production company Mediawan and the rights to “Comme d’habitude”, the song adapted into “My Way” and popularised in English by Frank Sinatra.
In 2010, he launched the venture capital firm Kima Ventures, which provides seed funding to over 120 tech founders annually, investing around €15 million a year. In 2013, he opened a network of tuition-free coding schools called 42, a reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which “42” is the answer to life’s biggest questions.
In 2017, he launched the world’s biggest tech incubator, a project that has been crucial in transforming Europe’s startup sector. In 2023, through Iliad, he invested €100 million to launch Kyutai, a non-profit, open-source artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Paris. The non-profit was launched in collaboration with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and French shipping executive Rodolphe Saadé, with each contributing €100 million. In February 2025, Iliad set aside €3 billion for new AI data centres and open-source AI research in Europe.
Niel’s partner is Dior CEO Delphine Arnault, daughter of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, described in the report as Europe’s richest man. The couple has two young children, while Niel has two adult children from a previous marriage. His wider investments include billions committed to startups, technology training and artificial intelligence.
As of 31 October 2026, Niel ranked 254th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a net worth of $13.3 billion.
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.
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