LVMH has a sprawling portfolio of brands synonymous with luxury: Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Bulgari, Celine, Tiffany & Co., Hennessy and Veuve Clicquot. Its CEO, Bernard Arnault, almost never speaks to journalists and doesn’t have the name recognition of the likes of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, but regularly vies with them for the title of richest person in the world and has an almost impossible-to-measure influence over the business world.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brad Stone and reporter Angelina Rascouët recently landed a rare interview with Arnault, where they learned how he built his empire from the ground up. And they consider a burning question: At 75 years old with five grown children in the business, what are his plans for succession?

Read more: The House of Arnault