Greg Abel Leads First Berkshire Shareholder Meeting as Buffett Steps Back After 60 Years

Greg Abel held his first independent leadership of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting on May 2 (Beijing time evening), with Warren Buffett stepping back for the first time in sixty years to attend as an observer rather than lead speaker. The Q&A session began at 9:30 a.m. local time, with Abel and Vice Chairman Ajit Jain addressing shareholder questions.

Berkshire’s A-class shares have declined approximately 13% over the past year since Abel’s appointment in May 2025, while the S&P 500 returned roughly 26%, reflecting market caution following the leadership transition. The company faces investor scrutiny on multiple fronts: how to deploy its $373 billion in cash and liquid assets, restructure its management hierarchy, and maintain investment strategy coherence under new leadership. Abel restarted share buybacks in March after a hiatus, signaling confidence in valuation at the current 1.4x price-to-book ratio.