The ultimate poster boy for crony capitalism-Slim built the bulk of his fortune by acquiring a monopoly over the Mexican phone system. Seems to have a finger in every other major business in Mexico as well. Since he's been quite successful in other Latin American countries, Slim must have some business skills, but his fortune has been mostly a matter of bribing the right people. Didn't give a dime to charity either, until he briefly became the richest man in the world, which created too much bad publicity.