A personal Tim Cook tribute
Shortly after the announcement, Tim Cook shared a photo of him in his company taken at the Apple Park. He took the opportunity to send a little circumstance message to the investor: There has never been someone like Warren, and countless people, including myself, were inspired by his wisdom. It was one of the great privileges of my life to know it
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Tim Cook also praised his successor, saying that Warren Buffett leaves Berkshire Hathaway in good hands, under the direction of Greg Abel. The latter will become CEO at the end of the year.
Technological mistrust to a winning bet on Apple
But everything was not pink between Apple and the investor who did not trust new technologies. For years, Warren Buffett had carefully avoided investing in tech companies. In 2012, he even claimed that he would never invest in a business that he did not understand.
At the time, he seemed easier to predict the future of Coca-Cola than that of Apple. However, it appears that the Cupertino routes seemed clearer than others … Because in 2016, it is illumination. Rather than considering Apple as a technological company, he treated it as a general public brand with exceptional loyalty and recurring income. Berkshire Hathaway then began to buy Apple shares, becoming its greatest institutional investor until 2024.
Never his iPhone!
History had amused at the time: Tim Cook offered his first iPhone to Warren Buffett in February 2020. Until this date, the latter used a Samsung Sch-U320 (with a valve of a very modest value of $ 20. Horrified, Apple’s CEO had tried several times to convince the switcher businessman, even going so far as to mention it regularly in the New Year’s cards.
During an interview in March 2020, Warren Buffett confirmed finally an iPhone and having benefited from private lessons from Tim Cookwho had spent several hours showing him the functioning of the iPhone 11. Despite these efforts, Buffett joked by saying that the CEO had tried to advance him to the average level of a two -year -old child, without fully achieving it.
Warren buffett to admis whatHe mainly used his iPhone to make calls, preferring his iPad (everything was not lost) for stock market research and consultation. He also mentioned that he had received several iPhones as a gift, including from Tim Cook, but that he had not adopted the smartphone in 2020.
This late adoption of the iPhone by Warren Buffett symbolizes for many its very cautious management And its attachment to habits, even in the face of largely adopted technologies. Nevertheless, its massive investment in Apple has also demonstrated its confidence in the company and its long -term strategy.
A strategic alliance that marked Wall Street
Although Berkshire Hathaway reduced his participation last year –going from nearly $ 200 billion to around $ 75 billion in AAPPL shares– The initial investment has sustainably contributed to solidifying Apple’s position as a refuge value for long -term investors.
Today, Vanguard has taken the lead as Apple’s main institutional shareholder (9 % of capital). This alliance even had an unusual wink: at the Berkshire annual assembly in 2019, Buffett and Apple had launched a small iOS game together Warren Buffett’s Paper Wizard.
Born in 1962 in Edmonton (Canada), CREG Abel is therefore the future CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, designated by Warren Buffett to succeed him at the head of the conglomerate. After trade studies at the University of Alberta, he began his career in the energy sector at PricewaterhouseCoopers, then at Calenergy (which will also be integrated into Berkshire Hathaway).
He climbed the levels by directing Midamerican Energy, who became Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), one of the group’s key subsidiaries. Recognized for its rigorous management and long-term vision, CREG Abel has been vice-president of Berkshire Hathaway, in charge of all non-assurance activities since 2018.
Unlike Buffett, Greg Abel specializes in the management of industrial and energy assets, but he shares with him the prudent investment philosophy and preference for sustainable growth. Aged 62, he officially took office in late 2025, accessing one of the most influential positions in global finance.
