Warren Buffett Retires as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffett officially retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on December 31, 2025, transitioning leadership to Greg Abel, his long-time protégé. Under Buffett’s tenure, Berkshire’s Class A shares (BRKA) experienced a staggering return of nearly 6,100,000% over more than 50 years. Abel’s initial shareholder letter introduced two new stocks to Berkshire’s indefinite holding list, including Apple, despite concerns regarding its current market valuation.
In the nine quarters leading up to Buffett’s departure, approximately 75% of Berkshire’s Apple stake, equating to 687.6 million shares, was sold. As of April 10, 2024, Apple’s shares were trading at 33 times trailing 12-month earnings per share (EPS), a stark contrast to the 10 to 15 times EPS level when Buffett began investing in the company in 2016. Despite Apple’s robust customer loyalty and largest share repurchase program globally, its stock is viewed as historically overpriced.
