It was supposed to be the ultimate power play. You had Carlos Slim, the undisputed king of Latin American telecommunications, and Elon Musk, the man trying to put a satellite in every corner of the sky. For a minute there, it actually looked like they were going to play nice. They were talking big about Starlink providing the backbone for remote areas where Slim’s América Móvil didn’t want to dig trenches for cables.
Then came the tweet.
If you've followed Musk for more than five minutes, you know he doesn't exactly have a "think before you post" filter. In early 2025, Musk retweeted a post that took a direct swing at Slim. The post basically suggested that you don't get as rich as Carlos Slim in Mexico without having some... let's call them "unsavory" connections to the underworld. Musk didn't just share it; he added a detective emoji.
That little emoji cost him roughly $7 billion in potential revenue.
The $7 Billion Emoji and the Starlink Fallout
Slim didn't release a long, corporate-speak press release. He didn't send a cease and desist. He just pulled the plug. Within what felt like minutes, América Móvil—which operates in 25 countries—effectively ghosted Starlink.
The fallout was messy.
Honestly, Musk seems to have forgotten that in Mexico, reputation isn't just a PR metric; it's everything. You don't publicly insinuate that the country’s most powerful businessman is a cartel crony and expect him to keep writing you checks. By March 2025, the partnership was dead. Slim didn't just walk away; he pivoted hard. He announced a massive infrastructure plan, pledging to invest $22 billion (though some sources suggest this was a mix of pesos and dollars, the intent was clear) into his own network.
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He didn't stop there. Slim started looking toward China and Europe for new partners. It was a classic "I don't need you" move that left Musk’s Starlink expansion in Latin America looking a lot more uphill than it did the week before.
Contrasting Styles: Old School vs. The Technoking
There is a fundamental clash of civilizations between Carlos Slim and Elon Musk.
Slim is the embodiment of the 20th-century mogul. He’s a value investor who loves monopolies, physical infrastructure, and high barriers to entry. He bought Telmex when it was a dusty state-owned mess and turned it into a money-printing machine. He’s low-profile, calculated, and moves with the heavy gravity of traditional power.
Musk is... well, he's Elon. He wants to disrupt everything at once. He builds cars, rockets, and brain chips while arguing with strangers on the internet at 3:00 AM.
Where the Money Sits in 2026
As of early 2026, the wealth gap between the two is staggering. While Slim is still incredibly comfortable with a net worth hovering around $82.5 billion, Musk has skyrocketed into a different stratosphere. Thanks to Tesla’s performance and the surging valuation of SpaceX, Musk’s net worth has been pegged by some trackers at over $700 billion.
- Elon Musk: Dominates EVs, space, and social media.
- Carlos Slim: Dominates Mexican and Latin American telecom and construction.
- The Conflict: One wants to bypass the ground; the other owns the ground.
The Tesla Mexico Factory Drama
It wasn't just satellites. The tension between these two—and their respective "vibes"—spilled over into the physical world with the Tesla Gigafactory Mexico.
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The plant in Nuevo León was supposed to be a triumph. But then politics happened. Musk put the brakes on the project, citing concerns about tariffs and the U.S. political landscape. For a country like Mexico, which was counting on that multi-billion dollar investment, the "pause" felt like a slap in the face.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had to step in and defend Slim during the "cartel tweet" drama, calling Musk’s insinuations "baseless." It created a weird diplomatic triangle. You have the Mexican government trying to keep Musk interested in building a factory while also standing up for their local billionaire hero against Musk's online jabs.
Why This Matters for Your Wallet
If you’re wondering why a spat between two guys with more money than God matters to you, look at your phone bill or your internet speed.
When Slim and Musk fight, competition heats up. Because Slim dumped Starlink, he’s now pouring money into 5G and fiber optics to make sure his terrestrial network is so good that nobody in Mexico City or Guadalajara even thinks about buying a satellite dish.
Meanwhile, Musk is forced to go direct-to-consumer or find smaller, hungrier partners. This means price wars. In the long run, the "Billionaire War" usually ends up lowering costs for the rest of us because these guys are too proud to let the other win a single inch of market share.
What We Get Wrong About the Rivalry
People love a good "hero vs. villain" narrative, but it's rarely that simple.
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Some see Slim as a "monopolist" holding back Mexican innovation. Others see Musk as an "unstable interloper" who doesn't respect international business norms. The truth? They are both hyper-rational actors who hit a wall of ego.
Slim knows that satellite internet is a threat to his copper and fiber empire. Musk knows that Slim owns the "last mile" of connectivity in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world. They need each other, but they can't stand each other.
Actionable Insights for Investors and Tech Observers
If you're watching this space, here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Watch AST SpaceMobile: Slim has hinted at looking at rivals like AST SpaceMobile. If they land a major deal with América Móvil, they become a legitimate threat to Starlink’s dominance in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The China Pivot: Slim’s willingness to work with Chinese tech firms is a massive red flag for U.S. interests. If Mexican telecom becomes built on Chinese hardware because Musk offended the local gatekeeper, it changes the geopolitical map.
- Tesla’s "Giga Mexico" Status: Don't expect ground to be broken until Musk feels the political winds in the U.S. are 100% in his favor. He’s using the factory as a bargaining chip.
- Starlink's Direct-to-Cell: Musk's next move is bypassing the need for any partner at all. If Starlink can beam 5G directly to your existing phone without an América Móvil SIM card, the "war" enters a whole new phase.
The era of the "Billionaire Bromance" is over. We are now in the era of the "Billionaire Border War," and it’s going to be a long, expensive fight.
To stay ahead, keep a close watch on América Móvil’s quarterly earnings reports—specifically their "Capital Expenditure" (CapEx) sections. That’s where Slim hides his moves against Musk. Similarly, monitor SpaceX's licensing filings in Latin American countries; if they start applying for "direct-to-link" spectrum, you know Musk is trying to cut Slim out of the loop entirely.