The Billionaire Behind Louis Vuitton and Dior Spent Millions Trying to Fix His ‘Ruthless’ Image. A Snarky Tweet Worked Better.

Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s chairman, has been called “the wolf in cashmere” for over a decade. Then he went viral for being funny. By Jonathan Small | edited by Dan Bova | Jul 31, 2026 Bernard Arnault has spent millions trying to change his image. It may have taken one sarcastic tweet to actually pull it off. The LVMH chairman, long nicknamed “the wolf in cashmere” and “the Terminator,” funded museums and underwrote the Paris Olympics over the past decade to soften his reputation, with little effect, the New York Times reports. Then came a three-page open letter responding to a critical Le Monde investigative series, posted to X. Instead of disagreeing with the reporting, Arnault poked fun at it, joking about details like being accused of making Hermès-tie-wearing visitors change clothes. The letter has been viewed over 8 million times and drew praise from figures like billionaire investor Bill Ackman. Arnault, 77, was so encouraged by the reaction that he joined X himself days later to personally thank people for sharing it, a post that’s now been viewed more than 11.5 million times. The lesson? Self-deprecating humor and a little humanizing mess may do more for reputation than buying your way out of trouble. Bernard Arnault has spent millions trying to change his image. It may have taken one sarcastic tweet to actually pull it off. The LVMH chairman, long nicknamed “the wolf in cashmere” and “the Terminator,” funded museums and underwrote the Paris Olympics over the past decade to soften his reputation, with little effect, the New York Times reports. Then came a three-page open letter responding to a critical Le Monde investigative series, posted to X. Instead of disagreeing with the reporting, Arnault poked fun at it, joking about details like being accused of making Hermès-tie-wearing visitors change clothes. The letter has been viewed over 8 million times and drew praise from figures like billionaire investor Bill Ackman. Arnault, 77, was so encouraged by the reaction that he joined X himself days later to personally thank people for sharing it, a post that’s now been viewed more than 11.5 million times. The lesson? Self-deprecating humor and a little humanizing mess may do more for reputation than buying your way out of trouble. Jonathan Small is a bestselling author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he... Read more