Spanish Billionaire Ortega (Briefly) Dethrones Bill Gates As Richest Man In The World

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Spanish clothier Amancio Ortega Gaona briefly surpassed Bill Gates on Forbes' real time wealth tracker Friday, before ceding the top spot again to the Microsoft founder. The move was made thanks to an increase in Ortega's net worth of $4 billion between Thursday and Friday. File Photo by FotograFFF/Shutterstock

MADRID, Oct. 23 (UPI) — Spanish clothier Amancio Ortega Gaona on Friday accomplished, albeit briefly, what not many people ever have — knocking Microsoft zillionaire Bill Gates off the top of the money heap.

According to Forbes’ real time wealth tracker, Ortega briefly surpassed Gates Friday with a net worth of nearly $80 billion.

The Spaniard made the move on Gates after his worth increased by about $4 billion between Thursday and Friday. By midday Friday, though, Gates had retaken the top spot on the list — which changes regularly based on market conditions.

Ortega, 79, the founder of European clothing line Zara, didn’t found the business until he was 40 years old.

Gates, 59, has topped wealth lists for the better part of two decades. Forbes’ real time tracker listed his net worth Friday afternoon at $79.4 billion.

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