Warren Buffett's road to investing glory

• Berkshire's insurance acquisitions, including National Indemnity (1967), GEICO (1996-98), and General Re, provided a continuous pool of capital from premiums that fueled decades of strategic investments
• Major holdings and investments included Coca-Cola (1988), Apple (starting 2016, now Berkshire's largest position), and crisis-era stakes in Goldman Sachs and Bank of America that generated billions in profits
• The company became the first non-tech U.S. firm to reach $1 trillion market value in 2024, with Buffett having pledged nearly all his stock to philanthropy since 2006

Warren Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO After Historic 61-Year Tenure

Warren Buffett, 96, has stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway effective January 1, 2026, transitioning to chairman emeritus while remaining on the board. Greg Abel assumes the CEO role following Buffett's legendary tenure that delivered over 6,100,000% returns since 1965.

Key Milestones:

1965-1985: Buffett acquired struggling textile company Berkshire Hathaway; shuttered the textile business in 1985.

1967: Purchased National Indemnity, establishing insurance as Berkshire's financial engine by providing investment capital from premium pools.

1988-1989: Made major investments in Coca-Cola and Gillette, exemplifying his strategy of owning simple, understandable businesses.

1996-2000: Aggressively expanded insurance operations with full ownership of GEICO and acquisition of General Re. Entered utilities sector in 1999 with MidAmerican Energy (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy).

2006: Pledged to donate nearly all Berkshire stock to philanthropic foundations; has since donated over half.

2008-2011: Invested $5 billion each in Goldman Sachs (2008) and Bank of America (2011) during the financial crisis, earning $11.5 billion profit from BofA alone. Acquired Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad for $26.4 billion in 2010.

2016: Began accumulating Apple shares, initially worth $1 billion, which became Berkshire's largest holding by end of 2025.

2022: Deployed tens of billions into Chevron, HP Inc, and Occidental Petroleum.

2024: Berkshire became the first non-tech U.S. company to reach $1 trillion market value.

Buffett's transformation of a failing textile mill into a trillion-dollar conglomerate marks one of history's most successful investment careers.