Walton vs Ortega

Walmart and Inditex.

The differences

Forbes puts Amancio Ortega about $18.4B ahead of Alice Walton.Forbes figures from 6 Oct 2026 and 12 Oct 2026.
Alice Walton: inherited it. Amancio Ortega: founded it.
Amancio Ortega is about 13 years older than Alice Walton.
Alice Walton is from United States; Amancio Ortega is from Spain.
Alice Walton has held a public or government advisory role; Amancio Ortega has none on record.

Put someone else on either side

Walton

Ortega

Net worth, Forbes: $123BForbes, 12 Oct 2026; $142BForbes, 6 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $137BBloomberg, 9 Oct 2026; $126BBloomberg, 9 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 15Real-Time list, 30 Sep 2026; No. 10Annual list, 1 Mar 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2001First year on a Forbes billionaires list: Forbes says he took Inditex public in 2001 and 'debuted on the Forbes billionaires list the same year' (No. 43, $6.6 billion)

How it started: Inherited itOnly daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton; Bloomberg calls her an heir to the fortune he created in Walmart; Founded itInditex calls him its founder: he started a clothing workshop in 1963, opened the first Zara in 1975, and Inditex was formed as its parent in 1985. Forbes says he co-founded Inditex with his ex-wife Rosalía Mera (d. 2013)
Main source: Walmart stock held mostly through the Walton Family Holdings Trust and Walton EnterprisesBloomberg: 'The majority of Alice Walton's fortune is derived from Walmart'; Inditex stock, held through Pontegadea Inversiones and PartlerBloomberg: 'The majority of Amancio Ortega's fortune is derived from a 59.3% stake in Inditex'; he has received more than 9 billion euros in dividends since the 2001 IPO, much of it put into property
Companies: WalmartWalmart: None; trustee of family holding entities; InditexInditex: Non-executive proprietary director
Biggest stake: WalmartStake not stated; Inditex59.294% owned

Born: 7 Oct 1949Newport, Arkansas, United States; 28 Mar 1936Busdongo de Arbas, Spain
Country: United StatesLives in Fort Worth, Texas, United States; SpainLives in A Coruña, Spain
Education: Bachelor's degreeBA in economics, Trinity University; No universityLeft school at 12 to work
Parents: Daughter of Sam and Helen Walton, who ran a five-and-dime store before Sam opened the first Walmart in 1962Before her philanthropy she worked in finance: equity analyst, founder of an investment bank, vice chairman of Arvest Bank Group; Born into a working family; began working in the textile trade at a very young ageParents' occupations not stated

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Alice L. Walton FoundationFounded 2017; she also founded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2005) and the Art Bridges Foundation (2017); Fundación Amancio OrtegaCreated in 2001; works in education and social welfare
Lifetime giving: $2BForbes, 16 Sep 2026. Forbes: more than an estimated $2 billion of her funds paid out by five family foundations through 2024; she has put more than $6 billion into them, plus at least $250 million to the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine; Not stated

Role now: No roleFounder of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Art Bridges Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation; On the boardNon-executive director of Inditex; chief executive of Pontegadea
Successor: Greg Penner, Rob Walton's son-in-law, chairs Walmart's board; John Furner became CEO in 2026Two Walton family members sit on the board as non-management directors; His daughter Marta Ortega Pérez, non-executive chair of Inditex since April 1, 2022Óscar García Maceiras has been CEO since 2021; his wife Flora Pérez Marcote is also a director
Public office: Member, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Advisory Council2021-; None found
Legal record: 1979: US SEC; 1998: Municipal court (Judge Stanley Ludwig)In a settled SEC proceeding concerning her work at E.F. Hutton, the SEC found she had wilfully violated or aided and abetted violations of securities antifraud rules and suspended her from the securities industry for six months from January 30, 1979. A municipal judge found her guilty on four counts, including driving while intoxicated and refusing a blood-alcohol test, after she contested the charges at trial.; 2013: Supreme Court of SpainThe Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in a dispute with tax auditors, leaving him to pay 33 million euros in back taxes for 2001 to 2003.