Billionaire Carl Icahn’s Top 10 Picks In this article we take a look at billionaire Carl Icahn’s top 10 stock picks. You can skip our detailed analysis of Icahn’s performance, his investment philosophy and some interesting points from his past and go to Billionaire Carl Icahn’s top 5 stock picks. Carl Icahn is an American billionaire and hedge fund manager whose total worth stands at over $15 billion. The 85-year-old’s hedge fund has over $20 billion in managed securities, as of the end of the fourth quarter. Often known as “corporate raider,” Icahn has a reputation for being an activist and aggressive investor often initiating corporate takeovers of companies and picking up fights with famous investors and billionaires. In 1985, Icahn took over Trans World Airlines and took it private. Icahn then started selling off the airline’s assets and routes to other companies and airlines, increasing TWA’s debt, eventually forcing the company to announce bankruptcy in 1992. Other activist bids and takeover attempts of the billionaire include his unsuccessful $7 billion hostile takeover attempt for 89% of U.S. Steel, buying a huge stake in Genesisintermedia, his threats to launch a proxy fight against Mylan Laboratories and his activism around XO Holding.