The $683b lunch: World’s two richest people dine out in Paris

The world’s two richest men met for a $US470 billion ($683 billion) lunch as Elon Musk and luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault dined together in Paris.

Musk, worth $US237 billion, and Arnault, the 74-year-old behind luxury goods group LVMH who is worth $US233 billion, enjoyed a power lunch at the five-star Cheval Blanc Maison with their respective families.

The pair were pictured together overlooking the Eiffel Tower in a photo shared by Bernard Arnault’s son, Antoine, on his Instagram account. Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, also attended the lunch.

Bernard Arnault has built LVMH into the world’s biggest luxury group, behind brands spanning Moet champagne to Louis Vuitton luggage. He has traded places repeatedly with Musk for the title of world’s richest man over the last year, with the Tesla chief currently out in front. Musk was already acquainted with Arnault, the two having met at a SpaceX launch. The head of the Louis Vuitton empire told The Telegraph last year:

“We were there at the launch of SpaceX in LA, and he put me in the driving seat of one of his latest driverless cars.” The pair dined at one of Europe’s most expensive hotels. Opulent rooms at the Cheval Blanc that overlook the river Seine can cost as much as £8000 ($14,900) per night. A 7000-square-foot Quintessence Suite covering the top two floors, featuring four ensuite bedrooms, a private pool and grand marble bath tubs is also available and thought to cost tens of thousands of euros per night.

The group met during a whistle stop tour of Europe by Musk, who had visited Rome the day before where he met with Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. The Tesla chief also visited the Colosseum and held talks with Antonio Tajani, the country’s foreign minister, on the automotive sector.

During his flying visit to Paris, Musk once again met with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the second in less than a month the pair have met as Macron seeks to attract investment from Tesla.

Ahead of his meeting, Macron told reporters he would be “selling France” in an effort to convince the billionaire to locate an electric battery “gigafactory” in the country. Macron tweeted a photo of the pair shaking hands with the caption “Let’s work together!“.