The Warren Buffett era comes to an end: he is no longer CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

For sixty years, Warren Buffett has been much more than a CEO: he has been the very face, voice and philosophy of Berkshire Hathaway. Since 1965, when he took control of a small, declining textile company, Buffett has built one of the most powerful conglomerates in global capitalism, turning an initial investment into a machine capable of generating value with a consistency never before seen on Wall Street. Now, at 95, he takes the step he had been preparing for decades: he hands over the company's operational reins.

That's right, this financial 2026 opens with a handover that cannot fail to make headlines. For what Buffett represented, his insights, his flair. A handover that marks the end of an era, but not a break. From today, 1 January 2026, the role of CEO passes into the hands of Greg Abel, a manager who grew up within the group and has long been indicated as the designated successor. Abel joined Berkshire in 2000 with the acquisition of MidAmerican Energy, now Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and over the years has become the architect of the management of the conglomerate's non-insurance business.

It must be said that Buffett is not really leaving the scene. He will remain chairman of the board of directors and will continue to frequent the Omaha offices on a daily basis, maintaining an active support and supervisory role. Alongside Abel, Vice Chairman Ajit Jain will continue to lead the insurance business, the historical pillar of the group, while the management structure built up over the years will remain substantially unchanged.

But here are some numbers. Since 1965, when Buffett took control of the company, those who have held Berkshire shares have earned a total return of about 6,100,000%. Over the same period of time, the S&P 500 has returned about 46,000%, including dividends. It is true that the index did better in 2025 and the last decade, but Berkshire has never closed a year with a loss. A record that tells of the continuity and discipline of an investment model that has become a school for financial enthusiasts.

Today, the conglomerate is worth $1.2 trillion and boasts an extremely diversified industrial portfolio that includes insurer Geico, railroad assets, dozens of manufacturing and energy companies, and historic consumer brands such as Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, and See's Candies. At the end of September, Berkshire had $381.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents, a huge amount of cash that Buffett has struggled to deploy in recent years due to a dearth of acquisitions deemed sufficiently attractive.