Masayoshi Son

It's good to be king. And it's very good to be a king who has cash to play with, despite the global market disenchantment with the Internet. At least, that's what you will hear from Softbank Corp. founder Masayoshi Son, who is the undisputed ruler of the Net in Japan. The tech meltdown is sweeping away the amateurs, and affords those with staying power a huge opportunity. "I view this as a positive thing," says Son. "The survivors will now have room to grow."

Son plans to go full blast, buying into all manner of broadband, wireless, and Internet technologies around the world. On top of $2.5 billion in venture-capital funds he raised during the fat times, a deal with Cisco Systems Inc. earlier this year put another $1.05 billion in his pocket.