So, you’re standing in the checkout line, staring at the candy bars, and you wonder: who actually has more money than they could spend in ten lifetimes? It flips more often than a pancake at a Sunday brunch, but as of late 2024, the crown typically sits with Bernard Arnault (the luxury goods king) or Elon Musk (the rocket and electric car guy). Their fortunes are like a game of billionaire ping-pong, and the rest of us are just watching the scoreboard.
Remember last year when you had to decide between buying gas or grabbing a coffee? These guys don’t have that problem. Bernard Arnault runs LVMH—the company behind Louis Vuitton bags, Dom Pérignon champagne, and Sephora makeup. Elon Musk runs Tesla, SpaceX, and X (the app formerly known as Twitter). They’re essentially playing Monopoly with real money, and you’re just trying to pass Go to pay your Netflix bill.
How did they get there? (Spoiler: Not by clipping coupons)
Imagine you bought a winning lottery ticket, but you designed the lottery. That’s kind of how these guys operate. Arnault started by buying a struggling textile company and turned it into the world’s biggest luxury brand collection. He basically made high-end handbags a global currency.
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Musk, on the other hand, made his first pile from PayPal (you know, the thing you use to pay your friend for pizza). Then he decided cars should drive themselves and rockets should land themselves. It’s like he woke up one day and thought, “I’ll just reinvent transportation.” You and I just wake up and hope the toast doesn’t burn.
Why should you, a normal human, care about this?
Because their money affects your life in ways you don’t even feel. When Arnault buys another fashion house, the price of a basic T-shirt might tick up just a little bit. When Musk launches a new satellite network (Starlink), it might mean your internet doesn’t crash during a Zoom call at 3 PM. Their spending decisions ripple down to your wallet, whether you’re buying a $5 latte or a $50,000 car.
Also, it’s fun to wonder. Imagine you had their money. You’d buy a yacht. They already own islands. Musk actually bought Twitter for $44 billion—which is more than the GDP of some small countries. Picture your neighbor buying a new grill; now imagine that neighbor buying a social media platform just to change the logo to an “X.” That’s the level we’re dealing with.
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Let’s put it in your terms. A billionaire like Musk could buy every single item in your local Walmart every day for decades, and still have change. It’s not relatable, but it is fascinating. It’s like watching a nature documentary about an animal you’ll never meet—except that animal can decide what kind of electric cars you’ll drive.
The real secret: They don’t “spend” money like you do
Here’s the weird part. When you see Musk or Arnault on the news, they aren’t carrying cash. Their wealth is tied up in stocks and companies. Think of it like owning a rare baseball card that’s worth a million dollars—you’re rich on paper, but you can’t buy a sandwich with it unless you sell the card. Except they have millions of cards, and they can sell a few whenever they want a sandwich (or a private jet).
Meanwhile, you are probably wealthier than you think. Compared to most humans in history, you have running water, a phone that does magic, and access to tacos. The richest man in the world just has a bigger pile of digits in a bank account. But when you boil it down, he still gets hungry, still gets tired, and (presumably) still loses his keys sometimes.
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A little story to make you smile
A friend of mine once saved for months to buy a designer wallet from a brand Arnault owns. She was so proud. Then, a week later, she dropped it in a puddle. She cried. Meanwhile, Arnault probably has a closet full of those wallets, and he’s not crying about a puddle—he’s planning a new store on the moon. That’s the gap. But here’s the thing: her joy and frustration are real. His billions can’t buy a tiny, perfect moment like the feeling of finally saving up for something special.
So, who is the richest man in the world? Right now, it’s probably Bernard Arnault, with Elon Musk breathing down his neck like a nervous racehorse. If you check next week, the answer might change because of a stock market hiccup or a tweet about a new cryptocurrency.
What you should really care about is not the name, but the reminder that money is relative. You don’t need a billion dollars to enjoy a sunset, a good laugh with a friend, or a warm slice of pizza. But hey, it’s still fun to know who’s winning the game. So next time you’re in that checkout line, you can impress your cashier by saying, “You know, Bernard Arnault probably doesn’t clip these coupons.” They’ll smile, and for a second, you’ll feel a tiny bit richer.