>merchandise
sucks at investing
still makes Billions
But unlike Warren Buffett, who has picked winner after winner for decades, Alwaleed has not proven to be a consistent investor. Over the past 20 years he has backed some serious dogs, such as Eastman Kodak and TWA. High-profile media investments (Time Warner and News Corp.) turned in middling performances. And while there were also big winners, notably eBay and Apple, Alwaleed missed out on another jackpot when he dumped much of his holdings in the latter in 2005. In other words, Alwaleed still has yet to repeat what he pulled off with the Citi investment. "That was his huge deal and what put him on the map. It was a big risk, a big number, a big bank," an executive formerly close to Alwaleed told FORBES. "Nothing he's done since has been anywhere near that caliber.