Elon Musk is no longer the world’s richest man.
The multi-billionaire has seen the value of his electric car firm Tesla take a nosedive this year, and Forbes is now reporting that Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of luxury goods group LVMH, has overtaken with a worth of US$188 billion, toppling Musk’s US$178 billion.
Musk has the largest share in Tesla, 14 per cent, while he splashed US$44 billion on Twitter in October, for which he used shares in Tesla to help pay for the buyout.
Tesla has also faced lawsuits over its autopilot mode and had many recalls.
LVMH controls around 60 subsidiaries that each manage a small number of prestigious brands, including Christian Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loewe, Sephora, TAG Heuer, Bulgari, and Tiffany and Co.
The controversial star’s popularity appears to be waining too, after he was booed when he was introduced as a surprise guest at a Dave Chappelle comedy show.
The 51-year-old tech entrepreneur appeared shocked at the crowd’s reaction during the gig in San Francisco on Sunday night (Dec 11) and stayed mainly quiet when on stage with the comic, asking him: “What should I say?”
Referring to Musk’s sackings of Twitter staff, Chapelle, 49, joked: “It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience.”
Footage circulated on Twitter of the embarrassing moment for Musk, who has stoked controversy since his US$44 billion purchase of Twitter by firing most of its workforce and reinstating Donald Trump’s banned account.
The Twitter account that posted the clip vanished shortly after it started to gain popularity.
Chapelle was performing at the Chase Center on a double-bill with 57-year-old Chris Rock — who discussed being slapped by Will Smith, 54, at this year’s Oscars — and Musk was introduced to the crowd as the “richest man in the world”.
The father-of-10 was wearing an “I love Twitter” T-shirt, with Chapelle remarking: “Cheers and boos I see.”
The stand-up added: “All of those people who are booing, I’m just pointing out the obvious, they have terrible seats. It’s all coming from way up there.
“Listen, this n***** is not even trying to die on earth. His whole business model is, ‘F*** Earth, I’m leaving anyway!’
“Boo all you want, take me with you, I’m going to Mars.”
When Musk thanked the stand-up for having him on stage, Chapelle again referenced the billionaire’s dream of colonising Mars by saying: “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this opportunity. The first comedy club on Mars, that should be mine. A deal’s a deal Musk.”
He also advised Musk as booing continued: “Don’t say nothing. It will only spoil the moment. Do you hear that sound Elon? That’s the sound of pending civil unrest.”
The comic also made Musk scream into the microphone: “I’m rich b****” in reference to a sketch in which Chapelle impersonated funk star Rick James.
This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
