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Jan 12, 2024 · One of these was later found to be a front for prostitution and in 2004 he was arrested on charges of aggravated procuring (pimping). While the charge was ultimately dropped, Mr Niel spent four weeks in jail for concealing the misuse of corporate funds in connection with income from the peep shows.
Nov 13, 2020 · French billionaire Xavier Niel built his reputation and fortune on telecoms group Iliad and investments in technology start-ups from Paris to Silicon Valley. Less visible has been the...
- The Big Boss
- Free and Telecoms
- Station F and École 42
- Entrepreneurship in France
- Niel in His Own Words
Xavier Niel doesn’t particularly enjoy talking about himself, and that’s a good thing since he has little time to do so. Nevertheless, when three HEC students asked for a chance to interview him, he accepted immediately. He arrives for the meeting not a minute late and, after sending a final message, he puts his iPhone on the floor so that he won’t...
Liviu Teodorescu (MBA.19): With Free, you revolutionized the telecom sector by launching the first box, then unlimited mobile-phone calls and low-cost Internet access. Now that this revolution is b...
Xavier Niel: There are still “geographical” challenges. We should keep in mind that a service that costs a few dozen euros per month here in France might cost you $150 per month in the United States, for example. In addition, technologies continue to evolve. After fiberoptics and 4G, we’re now getting ready for 5G. But really, I don’t think we’ll soon see the same kind of revolution that the arrival of the Internet was. At least, I can’t imagine anything like that right now.
Liviu Teodorescu: I’m from Romania, where web access is both cheaper and better. Do you think that the current state of telecoms in France will hold back the development of the digital economy?
Xavier Niel: I know that certain areas lack good coverage, but I don’t think France has an infrastructure problem overall. We’re mostly well equipped. Concerning prices, we have the reputation of being the cheapest in Europe and according to the Worldwide Broadband Speed League 2018, Romania has the fifth-fastest network in the world, while France is in 23rd place. One of the cheapest in the world, if we compare Internet costs to average salaries. This is because of very strong competition am...
Liviu: Other operators, like Orange and Canal+, have made significant investments in Africa. Do you plan to develop your activities on that continent?
Xavier Niel: Free is only present in France and Italy. At the moment, there is no plan to enter the African market. On the other hand, I have invested personally in telecom companies in around 15 countries, including Senegal and the Comoros. There are enormous opportunities: the telecom sector is really booming in Africa right now.
Angélique Sorba (H.21): Your huge start-up incubator, Station F, will soon celebrate its second birthday. Now that it’s a bit less trendy, can you tell us: Does it work or not?
Xavier Niel: I wouldn’t call it trendy, or if it is, it’s a lasting trend. My goal was to create an ideal environment for people launching start-ups, as well as draw attention to the French entrepreneurial ecosystem and encourage people from all over the world to join in. And I think it’s been successful, don’t you? In any case, the campus has been full since the first day. So much so that we only accept around 9% of the candidates who apply. And – don’t be offended – it was really important...
Angélique: But do the start-ups that have gone through Station F succeed better than others?
Xavier Niel: It’s too early to say. We’ve seen some fund-raising, promising results, and successful “exits”, but we can’t judge a start-up’s success after only 18 months. We’ll see in a year or two. For now, we can say that enterprises with an office at Station F get more media coverage than others. This is because the place has developed a strong identity, our communications efforts have been effective, and journalists want to come there to “shop” for stories. It also indicates that we have...
Angélique: On Station F’s first birthday in June last year, you said – and it made an impression on me – “When I come here at night, I find that there aren’t very many people.”
Xavier Niel: Oh yes, and how I’ve been yelled at for that comment! When I started out, I studied during the day and worked at night. I worked for two eight-hour stretches back-to-back; I never stopped. So, when I visited Station F one night, I thought I’d see 4,000 people hard at work, but I only found 50. But maybe styles have changed, to put it simply. Entrepreneurship has become a more comfortable life choice than it used to be. It’s also possible that I was wrong. Maybe people are more su...
Angélique: We conducted a survey at HEC last September. Of the 535 students we questioned, only 6% said they were “certain they would try to create their own company after graduating from HEC”. Thi...
Xavier Niel: Anyone graduating from HEC or Polytechnique has received excellent training and is sure to find a desirable job with a good salary. Becoming an entrepreneur means taking a risk, and you have more to lose.
Angelique: At Station F, the average age of people launching start-ups is 30. You began at age 18. Do you think that young French people are less likely to become entrepreneurs than in the past?
Xavier Niel: The best time to create a start-up is the time when you are less at risk. This is generally when you’re enjoying the cozy comfort of being a student, and the first years after you graduate. Later on, you begin to have a family life and it’s harder to manage. I admit that this average age of 30 is the figure that surprised me the most at Station F. Moreover, in my talks I tend to use the word “young” a lot, and I shouldn’t. There’s an entrepreneur at Station F who’s in his 70s. Yo...
India: You’re promoting innovation in education, of the kind that 42 offers. At the same time, many worry about a loss of knowledge of basic skills, like writing and math. Is this a contradiction?
Xavier Niel: No, we need to innovate in the way we teach, not so much in the content. At 42, we let students learn on their own and by helping each other, as if they were playing a game. This is working very well, even among students who failed in traditional schools. In addition, this kind of instruction can foster autonomy and an entrepreneurial spirit. More than 30% of our students eventually create a start-up.
India: Apparently you often go down into Paris’s catacombs. What are you looking for?
Xavier Niel: I’ve been going there since I was 16, always with my buddies. We can meet, walk around, talk… and down there, we’re not disturbed: there’s no telephone service.
India: At the same time, you’re on Free, aren’t you?
Xavier Niel: Yes, and it works really well. But above ground.
India: So it’s a way for you to cut yourself off from the world?
Xavier Niel: I don’t know. Now that you mention it, maybe I should talk this over with a shrink!
Sep 20, 2024 · Niel, a former hacker who never went to college, has always been preoccupied with disruption. Over the past year, he—and his money—have become an engine powering the rising French AI industry ...
Sep 4, 2023 · Xavier Niel’s story shatters the stereotypical mold of what an entrepreneur “should be.” He defied societal norms, rebelled against established systems, and emerged victorious by crafting ...
Vanderbilt basketball's coaching search continues after parting ways with Jerry Stackhouse on March ... ex-Louisville coach. Chris Mack, 54, led Xavier to four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight from ...
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Jan 15, 2013 · In recent weeks the name of Xavier Niel has once more made the headlines in France and around the world. The country’s second biggest internet service provider (ISP) Free, in which he has a...
