Overview
- Buffett said Thursday he personally proposed Berkshire Hathaway’s large investment in Alphabet, and public filings show the holding now tops roughly $31 billion after about $10 billion went to a private placement for Alphabet’s AI infrastructure.
- He told CNBC he regrets not buying Alphabet earlier and called his late entry a mistake, citing past reluctance to back fast-changing tech despite seeing Google’s strong ad profits through Berkshire’s insurance businesses.
- Buffett renewed a broad critique of the U.S. market, saying increased retail trading, single-day options and leveraged products have turned investment into gambling and made genuine long-term value harder to find.
- He warned that competing in AI requires massive, real cash outlays—hundreds of billions for data centers and compute—which changes the financial logic for tech firms and raises capital risk.
- On succession, Buffett described daily consultation with CEO Greg Abel but said final operational authority rests with Abel, and he reiterated that Apple remains one of Berkshire’s most favored holdings.