Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault, the world’s two richest people, shared lunch with some of their family on Friday in Paris. His mother, Maye Musk, accompanied the Tesla CEO, while the Chairman and CEO of LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, came with two of his sons – Antoine and Alexandre Arnault. They all dined at Cheval Blanc, the luxury hotel owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy, ahead of Musk’s appearance at the Viva Technology conference hosted by a company that is part of the Arnault-owned LVMH group.
Antoine and Alexandre work at LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate that owns several brands, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany. Both are high up in the company ranks, and Antoine even oversees some of the fashion brands within the company. They have also been involved with TikTok, a popular social media app where they are trying to make the platform more attractive for luxury marketers.
The group had a conversation about business and the economy during their lunch and perhaps also discussed how to attract new talent for the companies they are running. Antoine and Alexandre are also involved in a project attempting to turn vacant offices at LVMH into a startup incubator where they hope to attract some of the brightest young entrepreneurs worldwide.
The pair are said to be good friends and are both very interested in art. Antoine is an avid collector of contemporary artwork and has his gallery at his home in Paris. He also owns several properties considered to be the most luxurious in the city, including Cheval Blanc.
They are both very active on Twitter, and both regularly attend various technology conferences and events around the world. The last time they were in the same room was back in January when they both spoke at a forum called Web 3.0.
Suppose either of the two children is to succeed Arnault in his position as LVMH’s chief executive. In that case, they must prove they can lead the company and its many brands in today’s challenging business environment. They will have to deal with the ongoing challenges of the automotive and space industries while ensuring that LVMH’s brands remain relevant.
The 74-year-old Arnault is still undecided on who will take over his empire, and his kids all play essential roles in the company. Every month they get together for lunch at the company’s headquarters in Paris, and he asks them for advice on everything from specific managers to whether or not there should be a shake-up of the leadership team. Despite the monthly meetings, it still needs to be made clear who will end up being named Arnault’s successor. He hasn’t said anything about it publicly, and the heir apparent could be one of his five adult children or someone outside the family.
