Renowned investor Warren Buffett announced his resignation as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway only moments after bashing President Donald Trumpâs tariffs as an âact of warâ against allies.
âThe time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year-end,â Buffett said when he dropped the bombshell, referring to Vice Chairman Greg Abel.
âAnd I want to spring that on the directors, effectively, and give that as my recommendation,â he added.
Buffett, who is worth over $165 billion, led the company for 60 years.
Buffett, 94, has reached the end of the era after spending a large part of his life running one of the nationâs wealthiest companies. The veteran financial guru saved his shock declaration for the end of Berkshire Hathawayâs annual shareholder meeting, a days-long pilgrimage thatâs often referred to as âWoodstock for Capitalistsâ and draws up to 100,000 people per year.
Buffett said his departure would be news to the companyâs board, which is gathering Sunday to discuss the transition.
âI would still hang around and could conceivably be useful in a few cases,â he said. âBut the final word would be Gregâs.â
Buffett took time during the meeting to slam Trump for his harsh trade war.
âI donât think itâs right, and I donât think itâs wise,â he said. âThere is no question that trade can be an act of war, and I think itâs led to bad things, just the attitudes itâs brought out.â
Buffett also told the crowd that âtrade should not be a weapon.â
âItâs a big mistake, in my view, when you have 7.5 billion people that donât like you very well, and youâve got 300 million that are crowing in some way about how well theyâve done,â he added.
Buffett went on to rip the presidentâs callous remarks that international allies are âscrewingâ the American people.
Trumpâs âAmerica Firstâ trade war has imposed tariffs as high as 145 percent on other countries and led to major swings in the newly-unstable market.
âI do not think itâs a great idea to try and design a world where a few countries say, âHa ha ha, weâve won,â and other countries are envious,â Buffett said. âThe more prosperous [the world becomes] and the safer weâll feel, and your children will feel one day.â
Buffett became CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in 1970. He transformed the company from a New England textile mill to a massive conglomerate. As a result of Buffettâs investor success, heâs become one of the worldâs richest men.
Buffett is often called the âOracleâ or Sage" of Omahaâwhere he was bornâfor accumulating such massive wealth. Heâs pledged to give away 99 percent of it to philanthropic causes, primarily via the Gates Foundation.
In 2010, with philanthropist Bill Gates, Buffett founded the Giving Pledge to encourage other billionaires to give away at least half of their fortunes.
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