Europe’s Richest Man, Bernard Arnault, Sues Elon Musk

Several prominent French media groups, including two publications owned by billionaire Bernard Arnault, have filed a lawsuit against the social media platform X, accusing it of using their content without payment.

Arnault, founder, chairman, and CEO of luxury giant LVMH, is one of Europe’s most influential business figures and currently its richest man, with a net worth of $164 billion. I Jérémy Barande / Ecole polytechnique Université Paris-Saclay / CC BY-SA 2.0

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the case involves newspapers such as Arnault’s Les Echos and Le Parisien, as well as Le Figaro, Le Monde, Courrier International, Huffington Post, and Le Nouvel Obs.

In a joint statement, the media groups accused X, formerly known as Twitter, of violating "neighboring rights."

These rights, established by a European directive adopted into French law, require social media platforms to compensate publishers when republishing their content. AFP itself filed a similar lawsuit against X last week, with a court hearing scheduled for May 15, 2025, according to AFP's management.

Arnault, founder, chairman, and CEO of luxury giant LVMH, is one of Europe’s most influential business figures and currently its richest man, with a net worth of $164 billion.

However, his wealth has declined this year due to a slowdown in the luxury industry. The lawsuit pits Arnault against X's owner, Elon Musk, whose fortune has surged to $319 billion, driven by market optimism following Donald Trump’s reelection.