Carl Celian Icahn, born on February 16, 1936, in New York City, is an American billionaire investor, financier, activist shareholder, and corporate raider renowned for his aggressive takeover strategies and shareholder battles. Growing up in a Jewish family in Queens, New York, Icahn initially pursued medicine but shifted to finance after briefly attending New York University School of Medicine. He graduated from Princeton University in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and began his Wall Street career as a stockbroker at Dreyfus Corporation and later at Tessel, Patrick & Co., where he honed his skills in options trading and arbitrage. Icahn founded Icahn & Co. in 1968, which evolved into Icahn Enterprises, a diversified conglomerate and holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, where he serves as the controlling shareholder. His investment philosophy centers on acquiring significant stakes in undervalued companies and pressuring management to implement changes that enhance shareholder value, often through proxy battles and board influence. Notable campaigns include his successful takeover of TWA in the 1980s, where he dismantled the airline and profited substantially, as well as activist interventions at companies like Apple, Netflix, and Herbalife. Icahn's approach has made him a pioneer in activist investing, transforming it into a mainstream hedge fund strategy. Regarded as one of the greatest investors on Wall Street, Icahn's net worth has fluctuated but consistently places him among the world's richest individuals, with his influence extending to politics through endorsements and donations, including support for Donald Trump in 2016, where he briefly served as a special advisor on regulatory reform. Despite controversies surrounding his aggressive tactics, which have drawn criticism for prioritizing short-term gains over long-term company health, Icahn's career exemplifies the power of shareholder activism in shaping corporate governance.