'I became accidental quadrillionaire and world's wealthiest man for a minute'

01 October 2023 , 06:00

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Chris Reynolds opened his Paypal account one day in July 2013 to find his account with a quadrillion dollars (Image: NBC)

A man from the United States briefly achieved the status of the world's wealthiest individual, amassing a fortune that surpassed the entire global GDP by a thousandfold.

Back in 2013, PayPal unintentionally credited Chris Reynolds, a then-56-year-old resident of Pennsylvania, with a staggering sum of $92 quadrillion (£70 quadrillion). Acknowledging their mistake, the online money-transfer company promptly rectified the error after a brief period during which Mr Reynolds held the title of the world's richest person on paper, along with the distinction of being the sole quadrillionaire on the planet. Surpassing the wealth of the current richest individual, mogul Elon Musk whose net worth stands at a modest $248.1 billion, Mr Reynolds found himself in an unprecedented financial position.

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PayPal quickly figured the mistake and took the money back (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Upon realizing the error, PayPal promptly withdrew the erroneously credited funds. However, they also extended an offer to donate to a charitable organization of Mr Reynolds' choosing as a gesture of goodwill. In an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Mr Reynolds expressed his astonishment at the turn of events, describing the statement as making him feel "like a million bucks."

He told the Philadelphia Daily News that the huge sum made him feel 'like a million bucks'. Initially, he had believed that he owed quadrillions, making the revelation an immense surprise. "At first I thought that I owned quadrillions," he said. "It was quite a big surprise."

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Demonstrating his responsible and patriotic nature, Mr Reynolds emphasized that his first course of action, if he had indeed possessed such a vast fortune, would have been to allocate the funds towards reducing the national debt. When asked, he said: "I probably would have paid down the national debt."

PayPal offered to give some money to charity on behalf of Reynodls (Getty Images)

The brief moment when Chris Reynolds found himself at the apex of wealth sparked global fascination and speculation. At the time, news outlets and social media platforms erupted with discussions about the unimaginable magnitude of this fortune. Despite the ephemeral nature of his newfound status, Mr Reynolds embraced the unexpected attention with grace and humour. While the vast sum was swiftly withdrawn from his account, the offer from PayPal to contribute to a charity of Mr Reynolds' choice remained intact.

In the end, Mr Reynolds returned to his normal life, buoyed by the extraordinary experience that had briefly thrust him into the realm of the unimaginably wealthy.

Vassia Barba