Buffett impresses at Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting

On stage today, CEO Warren Buffett is flanked by Greg Abel and Ait Jain.

Abel is number two in the pecking order at Berkshire and has been Buffett’s ideal successor for years. Ait Jain oversees the conglomerate’s important insurance arm. Both gentlemen sometimes look a bit disappointed, because almost all questions from shareholders are addressed to Warren Buffett.

When asked a question about the insurance sector, Jain is given the floor. And when Buffett gets a question about the Canadian economy, he passes it on to Abel, himself a Canadian. Berkshire Hathaway is currently looking at a possible investment in Canada, Abel and Buffett indicate. But they don’t want to and can’t elaborate on that for the time being.

Some hilarity ensues when Buffett mistakenly refers to “Charlie” when he wants to pass the word to Abel, who is sitting next to him. “An old habit,” laughs Buffett, who, as always, takes the time to answer shareholders’ questions in detail. There will be no major scoops for the time being.