Berkshire Meeting Changes, Investors Highlight the Loss of Warren Buffett's Touch

The leadership change at Berkshire Hathaway is beginning to be felt at this year’s annual shareholder meeting.

Greg Abel, who officially became chief executive in January, received praise for his managerial abilities. However, Warren Buffett’s distinctive charisma appears to be diminishing.

The meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, showed a change in atmosphere. Several empty seats were visible in the arena. Attendance was also lower than in previous years.

Abel led the meeting without Buffett on stage. The 95-year-old investor sat among the audience and only spoke briefly.

The presentation style was judged to be different from that of Buffett and the late Charlie Munger. For decades, the two were known for sharing their investment views and life philosophies.

“I am a bit disappointed,” said Xiao Zhang, an investor from Boston, on Sunday (3/5/2026).

“In previous years, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger sat on stage, sharing their investment experiences as well as their life experiences and philosophies. This year, I did not hear anything like that,” Zhang added.

Some investors see this difference as a consequence of the generational transition. The foundation built by Buffett and Munger is considered to remain strong.

“They built something that will last longer than they do,” said John Wichita, a utilities systems analyst in Omaha.

“And I think that will happen. And the ideas they conveyed are far stronger than their physical presence, in a certain sense,” he continued.

One staff member even shouted, “Photo with the Gecko! No queue!” at the Geico booth, referring to the insurance company’s mascot.