The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the luxury brand LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Bernard Arnault, has surpassed Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, to become the world’s richest man.
According to the Forbes real-time billionaires list, Bernard Arnault now holds the top position with a net worth of $207.8 billion, outpacing Elon Musk, whose wealth is currently valued at $204.7 billion.
This development coincided with a challenging day for Musk’s Tesla in the stock market, experiencing a 13% decline, leading to Musk’s net worth dropping by over $18 billion. In contrast, LVMH shares witnessed a significant increase of over 13% on Friday, attributed to strong sales performance.
The report indicates that LVMH’s market capitalization, encompassing luxury brands such as Dior, Bulgari, and Sephora, reached $388.8 billion, while Tesla’s market cap stands at $586.14 billion. The tug-of-war for the title of the world’s richest person between the two billionaires has been ongoing since 2022, with Mr. Arnault reportedly securing the top spot late in that year.
According to the Forbes real-time billionaires list, the top 10 richest people in the world currently are:
1. Bernard Arnault & Family ($207.6 billion)
2. Elon Musk ($204.7 billion)
3. Jeff Bezos ($181.3 billion)
4. Larry Ellison ($142.2 billion)
5. Mark Zuckerberg ($139.1 billion)
6. Warren Buffett ($127.2 billion)
7. Larry Page ($127.1 billion)
8. Bill Gates ($122.9 billion)
9. Sergey Brin ($121.7 billion)
10. Steve Ballmer ($118.8 billion)
However, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index contradicts this ranking, asserting that Elon Musk remains the world’s richest man, holding a net worth of $199 billion. Following Musk on the Bloomberg list is Jeff Bezos, the founder of the e-commerce giant Amazon, with a wealth of $184 billion.
On the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bernard Arnault occupies the third position with a net worth of $183 billion.