Billionaires Bernard Arnault, Elon Musk alternate as world’s wealthiest individual

A 4.2% jump in Tesla stock prices on Monday propelled Musk back into the lead with an estimated net worth of US$210.6 billion as of Jan. 31, according to Forbes.

With this change, Arnault, founder, chairman and CEO of luxury goods giant LVMH, once again slipped to second place with $208.7 billion.

Elon Musk (R) and Bernard Arnault (L), the two richest individuals in the world. Photo from Arnault’s son Antoine’s instagram.

The French billionaire edged past Musk last week when a decline in Tesla stock pushed Musk’s net worth down to $204.5 billion while Arnault’s was $207.8 billion.

In recent years, the two richest individuals have constantly been competing for the coveted title.

Arnault’s net worth surpassed Musk temporarily back in December 2022 and, at some point in 2023, reached $211 billion before falling to below even Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who is usually in the third place.

As of January 31, Bezos’ net worth is estimated by Forbes to be at $181.2 billion.

Tech firm Oracle’s co-founder Larry Ellison takes the fourth spot with $142.1 billion in net worth, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at $141.2 billion, is at the fifth spot.