Elon Musk Back on Top as the World's Richest Man
- Marca
VIVA – Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter has reclaimed the status as the world's richest man according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index figures as of Thursday, June 2.
Elon Musk's fortune jumped 40.3 percent this year to US$ 192 billion (around IDR 2.84 quadrillion), because of the Tesla's share value which rose 24 percent in May.
Musk successfully got the position after defeat the boss of French luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton LVMH, Bernard Arnault, who is now in second place.
In December 2022, Arnault had unseated Musk and became the richest man in the world. However, Arnault's position has now been shifted again by Musk and is ranked second with a net worth of US$ 187 billion (IDR 2.77 quadrillion).
CEO Twitter Elon Musk.
- The Verge
Musk owns nearly 14 percent of Tesla and more than 40 percent of SpaceX, while Arnault owns around 60 percent of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 59, is in third place with a fortune of US$144 billion (IDR 2.13 quadrillion).
Musk's increased wealth was released after his high-profile visit to China that ended on Thursday. His private jet took off from Shanghai's Hongqiao airport this morning bound for Austin, Texas, where Tesla's global headquarters are located.
During his two-day visit to China, the US billionaire met with China's Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry to discuss Tesla's development.
Musk, who flew to Beijing for his first visit since 2020, also met with major battery supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology, and visited Tesla's factory in Shanghai.
The visit was made following the increasing competition that Tesla is currently facing with electric vehicles made in China. A number of reports said that this condition caused uncertainty regarding Tesla's expansion plans in Shanghai.
"(Chinese Industry Minister Jin Zhuanglong and Musk) exchanged views on the development of new energy vehicles and smart grids," the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on its website.
He also discussed Tesla's development in China and "smart grid" vehicles with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
Elon Musk, visiting China after three years, has mostly avoided the media spotlight, except for a few photo sessions and official statements about his meetings with Chinese ministers.
However, the Twitter owner has not made any public statements about his meetings with Chinese officials.
Photos of his visit to his company's factory in Shanghai on Wednesday evening appear to show Musk holding a "Giga Shanghai" sign, flanked by hundreds of staff including global manufacturing head Tom Zhu.
