Warren Buffett's Next Chapter: What's the Oracle of Omaha Likely to Do Next?

In an announcement astatine Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s (BRK.A, BRK.B) May 2025 yearly shareholder gathering that amazed adjacent his chosen successor, Warren Buffett made it official: He's passing the torch for the $1.2 trillion empire helium built astatine year's end. While Greg Abel was designated his successor successful 2021, Berkshire’s vice seat of non-insurance operations said helium was nevertheless caught disconnected guard, on with the Berkshire investors and Buffett fans successful the audience. It's agelong been assumed Buffett would service until his death.

"I would inactive bent astir and conceivably beryllium utile successful a fewer cases, but the last connection would beryllium what Greg said," Buffett told shareholders. So what is adjacent for the world's astir celebrated investor?

The Buffett No-Exit Strategy

When 2026 rolls successful and Abel takes the reins, Buffett isn’t going to beryllium gone completely. While Abel volition person the last connection connected institution operations and superior deployment, Buffett volition support respective important roles:

• Wisdom connected call: Berkshire manager Ron Olson expressed his anticipation that "Warren go the Charlie Munger for Greg Abel," suggesting Buffett volition service arsenic a sounding committee and advisor, conscionable arsenic Munger did for him for decades.
• Crisis consigliere: “I could beryllium helpful, I believe...if we ran into periods of large accidental oregon anything,” Buffett told Berkshire shareholders.
• Committed investor: Perhaps astir importantly for those squeamish astir the aboriginal of a post-Buffett Berkshire, the "Oracle of Omaha" pledged not to merchantability immoderate shares of his tremendous involvement successful Berkshire, worthy implicit $160 billion.
• Keeper of the flame: While he'll beryllium little progressive successful day-to-day management, Buffett volition apt assistance defender Berkshire's firm civilization and values. In aboriginal 2025, Buffett had said his son, Howie, would service arsenic nonexecutive seat of Berkshire to assistance successful that role.
  

Forget Shuffleboard: Buffett's Other Plans

While Buffett volition enactment with Berkshire arsenic chair and advisor, his status volition besides fto him focus much intently connected his philanthropy, already 1 of history's astir ambitious charitable commitments. Buffett has pledged to springiness distant 99% of his fortune, valued astatine astir $160 billion, to philanthropic causes.

Buffett has been a large donor to the Gates Foundation, which focuses connected planetary health, poorness alleviation, education, and addressing inequalities worldwide. He's besides putting important superior into foundations tally by his children: the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation.

The Bottom Line

For Buffett, this modulation is not truthful overmuch an ending arsenic an evolution—stepping backmost from regular absorption portion remaining a guiding beingness astatine the institution helium transformed from a struggling textile concern into 1 of the world's astir invaluable enterprises. Though he'll nary longer beryllium calling the shots, his legendary investment philosophy and concern principles volition inactive assistance signifier Berkshire's future.