Carl Celian Icahn, a highly acclaimed American activist shareholder, was born on February 16, 1936. As the visionary founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a publicly traded and diversified conglomerate holding company headquartered in the iconic city of New York, he has made a profound and lasting impact on the world of corporate finance. Icahn's investment strategy is centered around taking significant stakes in companies that he believes will appreciate in value following changes to their corporate policies. He then exerts pressure on management to implement these changes, which he firmly believes will benefit shareholders. As one of the pioneers of the activist shareholder movement, Icahn is credited with popularizing this investment strategy among hedge funds, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of finance.
Carl Icahn's remarkable professional trajectory has been characterized by a multitude of pivotal occurrences. During the 1980s, he garnered widespread recognition as a "corporate raider" due to his remarkable success in capitalizing from the hostile takeover and subsequent asset stripping of Trans World Airlines, a feat that significantly contributed to his growing reputation as a shrewd and formidable player in the world of corporate finance.