Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in the Nebraskan city of Omaha was the first time shareholders had heard in person from the group’s billionaire founder Warren Buffett since the onset of the pandemic.
A group of institutional investors pushing for Berkshire to disclose more on climate change were given short shrift, while the 91-year-old made clear that he can dispense with the board’s approval when striking big deals — something that is requisite for most other CEOs across America.
“If Warren thinks the deal is OK, the deal is OK,” Buffett said of the board’s thinking, as he held court on Saturday at a meeting that reminded shareholders that Berkshire remains very much the Warren show. “I could make a deal with anybody and it doesn’t get all messed up with process.”