Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the loudest voice to enter into the drama between Bill Ackman and his short, Herbalife is legendary investor Carl Icahn.
Icahn has been working Wall Street since the 1960s, but it wasn't until the 1980s that he gained his reputation as a ruthless activist investor, taking a controlling interest in companies like TimeWarner, TWA, and Blockbuster.
Now he's a billionaire. And he hates Bill Ackman.
Their feud came to a head this week, when he and Ackman took 20 minutes out of their Friday afternoon to discuss their disagreement publicly on CNBC.
So who is the man taking the other side of what is arguably the short of the year?
Like most truly successful Americans, Icahn came from humble origins.
Icahn was born in 1936. His father was a synagogue cantor (though apparently an atheist); his mother a school teacher. He attended Far Rockaway High School in Queens.
Source: Icahn report
He worked his way into Princeton, where he majored in Philosophy.
He graduated in 1957.
Source: Icahn report
After brief stints at med school and the army, Icahn joined legendary mutual fund manager Dreyfus & Co.
Dreyfus merged with Mellon in 1994.
Source: Icahn report
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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