Despite stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025 to serve solely as chairman, Warren Buffett is proving that retirement hasn’t dampened his appetite for high stakes investing. Many observers assumed the 95 year old legend would hand over all capital allocation duties to new CEO Greg Abel, but a recent interview with CNBC revealed otherwise. Buffett disclosed that he personally initiated Berkshire’s massive bet on Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, which has since grown into one of the conglomerate’s most significant holdings.
The investment is currently valued at roughly 30 billion dollars, comprising both open market purchases and a substantial 10 billion dollar private placement from June 2026. While Abel maintains final authority as CEO, Buffett clarified that he remains deeply involved in identifying opportunities. Interestingly, the Oracle of Omaha admitted that this move was partly motivated by a desire to correct a past oversight. He noted that failing to invest in Google search early on was a mistake, particularly given how heavily Berkshire subsidiaries like Geico rely on those very advertising services.
While Alphabet is now a cornerstone of the portfolio, Buffett tempered expectations by noting there are still several businesses he prefers even more. Though he didn’t name them specifically in this context, analysts point toward long term staples like Apple and Coca Cola as the gold standards in his eyes. Still, the pivot toward Alphabet signals a recognition of the tech giant’s enduring dominance and its aggressive expansion into AI infrastructure through Google Cloud and the Gemini chatbot.
For investors watching from the sidelines, Alphabet continues to show impressive momentum with revenue growing at an astounding pace relative to its size. With Google Cloud seeing explosive growth and a price to earnings ratio that remains lower than many of its Big Tech peers and even the broader S&P 500 average, it appears Buffett sees value where others see volatility. As Alphabet prepares for its next round of earnings reports, Berkshire’s massive stake serves as a loud signal that Buffett isn’t quite ready to leave the game just yet.