Carlos Slim Helú

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: Slim’s empire is built on his near monopoly of the Mexican phone industry. He controls more than 90 percent of the landline market and 75 percent of the cell-phone business. But his money and power also can be seen everywhere from Fifth Avenue (as in Saks, of which he owns 10.8 percent) to Fleet Street (he was reported to have recently purchased 1 percent of The Independent’s parent company). Slim’s $60 billion net worth is nearly 7 percent of Mexico’s entire G.D.P.—making him the richest man on the planet.

RARE MISSTEP: Slim, 68, spent $2 billion to buy CompUSA, but couldn’t make the business work despite repeated turnaround attempts. He shuttered the last of the stores and sold the brand earlier this year.

COOL FRIEND: Shakira.

CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY: The Mexican government is confronting Slim’s telephone dominance, forcing him to open up to a competitor.

AESTHETE BONA FIDES: His blossoming collection of Rodin sculptures and Renoirs places him among the world’s top art spenders, according to ArtNews.