The Berkshire Beat: July 17, 2026
All of the latest Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway news!
Warren Buffett is back in the news this week as he donated nearly $6 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock and sat down with Becky Quick for an hour-long interview.
Notably, for the first time in two decades, the Gates Foundation was not a recipient — and will remain on the outside looking in as Buffett permanently redirects his charitable gifts to four family foundations administered by his children.
The bigger headline, though, is that he plans to accelerate the pace of giving dramatically — aiming to dispose of all of his Berkshire shares within the next eight years. “Of course,” Buffett wrote in the accompanying press release, “mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034.”
He now owns 188,290 Class A shares and 1,162 Class B shares, which works out to 29.7% of the aggregate voting power and 13.2% of the economic interest of Berkshire.
During the interview with CNBC, he touched on many topics — including his decision to drop the Gates Foundation, his unwavering support for Greg Abel as Berkshire’s chief executive, the gambling mood of the modern stock market, and even his thoughts on new Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh.
But, to me, the major story is that Buffett admitted he was the one who “initiated” Berkshire’s sizable investment in Alphabet (or Google).
Back when Berkshire first purchased shares of the tech conglomerate in Q3 2025, I hoped that it was Buffett if only because it meant he had found one last big swing before riding off into retirement — and that it would close the circle on his earlier laments about having “missed out” on Google.
He was quick to add, though, that he doesn’t do anything that Abel doesn’t sign off on — meaning that his successor approves of the Google position, too. Which is a good thing considering it’s valued at more than $32 billion and ranks behind only Apple, American Express, and (sometimes) Coca-Cola in Berkshire’s stock portfolio.
“I think [Google] is more likely to be a winner based on the record than probably 95% of what gets merchandised through Wall Street,” said Buffett. “[But] I don’t like it as well as at least four or five other businesses that we own.”
Earlier in the interview, Buffett noted that he looks at big portfolio holdings (like Apple) the same as owned subsidiaries like BNSF Railway or BHE. And, when you group them all together, Google clocks in at either the fifth- or sixth-largest. I think that’s what he’s referring to in the above quote.
Basically, if he liked Google more than the businesses above it, he would buy more shares and it would already be higher up on the list.
“The real question with Google and all of its competitors now is they are all laying out hundreds of billions [on capital expenditures],” said Buffett.
“That’s real money. That kind of money wasn’t even put into the railroad business, in terms of developing it. That’s the game they are playing now. They weren’t playing that game with computer software.”
A complete overview of Buffett’s latest interview will be coming your way on Monday.
More news and notes from the Berkshire Hathaway orbit…
Get well soon, Warren! Becky Quick also revealed that Buffett, who turns 96 next month, broke his leg a few weeks ago. He had surgery to fix the issue and is already back on his feet (albeit with some assistance while walking).
“He does say that he has been really lucky in that he hasn’t broken a leg in his life until now,” said Quick. “And that while he has a lot to be thankful for, he’s no longer thankful for the fact that he has never broken his leg.” 🤣
Over on X, Bill noticed that Buffett’s charitable disclosure filing signals that Berkshire ramped up share repurchases in a big way since the end of Q1 2026. His calculations show that Berkshire’s outstanding share count has dropped by 0.8%, which puts the pace of current repurchases “at a level not seen since 2021”.
The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the NetJets crash that killed one person last month. The Cessna Citation Latitude was forced into an emergency landing on a Texas highway after electrical and fuel system problems developed mid-flight. In the process, the plane struck several light poles, hit a moving vehicle, and rolled onto its side on a highway overpass.
NetJets CEO Adam Johnson emailed customers after the report’s release. “NetJets has maintained one of the strongest safety records in the history of aviation,” he wrote. “The crew involved in this event responded to an extraordinarily complex and unprecedented series of circumstances with professionalism, discipline, and dedication to passenger safety.” Johnson added that this marked the first time one of its Latitude aircraft had experienced “cascading DC and AC generator failures and a corresponding fuel-line failure” after more than 7.2 million engine hours flown. In response, NetJets will now require enhanced inspections on generators and fuel-line sensors across its entire fleet.
Taylor Morrison was named to TIME’s list of “America’s Best Companies” — coming in at #356 and earning the distinction of highest-ranked homebuilder. “Being recognized as the top homebuilder on TIME’s inaugural ranking — a ranking that celebrates the characteristics defining what responsible, future-ready businesses should be — is an incredible honor,” said CEO Sheryl Palmer. “This list celebrates brands leading with innovation, accountability, and sustainable growth — all key pillars that guide Taylor Morrison into our exciting future ahead.”
Plenty of Berkshire-related companies made the list, with both Apple and Alphabet cracking the top ten (and American Express not far behind them). But I must take issue with any ranking of America’s best companies that puts Berkshire itself at #701. Color me very skeptical.
According to the IDC market research firm, Apple posted another strong quarter in China despite a wider slowdown in that country’s smartphone market. Q2 2026 smartphone shipments fell 4.3% in China — the fifth straight quarter of decline — but Apple and Huawei managed to defy the trend. iPhone shipments grew 24.4% year over year, lifting Apple into second place in overall market share at 18.1%.
In other Apple news, the tech giant sued OpenAI and io — the hardware design startup co-founded by Jony Ive and other Apple employees — for allegedly stealing trade secrets. OpenAI acquired io last year in a $6.5 billion deal.
The battle over the Union Pacific x Norfolk Southern merger continues to rage. Union Pacific executive vice president Kenny Rocker recently accused BNSF Railway and CPKC of threatening their customers not to support the proposed merger. Both railroads immediately — and strenuously — disputed the claim. “The allegation runs contrary to BNSF’s culture and values,” spokesman Zak Anderson told Trains. “It’s disappointing to see UP continue their baseless claims and rhetoric to distract from the central question before them — how consolidating 50% of all U.S. rail freight in one company enhances competition and doesn’t raise affordability issues for rail customers and the American consumer.”
This might be a case of projection on UP’s part. Just a few weeks ago, Wisconsin senator Tammy Baldwin mentioned in a congressional hearing that rail customers had called her office complaining that Union Pacific was threatening retaliation against anyone who opposed the merger.
And, finally, a couple must-reads for the weekend…
The Wall Street Journal dives into the current frenzy for turbines — from both airlines and hyperscalers — and how only a few companies make the parts to build them. Happily, Berkshire-owned Precision Castparts is one of them.
Charlie Munger earned the nickname “The Abominable No-Man” for a reason. Hedge Fund Alpha shows the many ways we can embrace the “Power of No!”