NEW YORK (Web Desk) – By the phrase “World’s richest man” the first man that comes to anyone’s mind is Bill Gates but the founder of Microsoft is no longer the world’s wealthiest man as fashion brand ”Zara” founder has dethroned him to clinch the top position.
Ortega who founded “ZARA” leapfrogged Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, on Wednesday to assume the title according to Forbes. Ortega’s net worth rose from $77.8 billion to $79.5 billion while Gates is worth an estimated $78.5 billion.
Ortega took the business public in 2001 and entered the Forbes billionaires list the same year, with a net worth of $6.6 billion. Surprisingly, Gates was already the richest man in the world, with a fortune of $58.7 billion.
This is not the first time Ortega has topped the list. He was briefly ahead of Bill Gates in October before a surge in Microsoft shares put him back in second place. The 80-year-old is slated to hand over the business to his daughter in future.
Ortega is the son of a railway worker from La Coruna in Spain, Ortega transformed clothing group Inditex from a tiny family dressmaker into Spain’s biggest company and now “Zara” is the first choice of fashion freaks who crave for trendy outfits. It was founded in 1975.
Although Bill gates is no longer the wealthiest soul on this earth but observers are of the view that a hefty amount of his fortune goes to “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” and by that estimate, he simply can’t be deprived of his status to be the richest man on the earth.
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