Warren Buffett Retires, Greg Abel Takes Over as CEO
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 18 2026
0mins
Source: Fool
- Leadership Transition: Warren Buffett will retire as CEO on December 31, 2025, with longtime understudy Greg Abel taking over, marking a new era for Berkshire Hathaway as Abel assumes control of daily operations and the investment portfolio while Buffett remains as chairman.
- Investment Strategy Shift: In his first quarter, Abel completely exited 16 positions, including notable companies like Amazon and Visa, highlighting the challenges of finding value in a historically expensive market and reflecting his investment philosophy similar to Buffett's.
- Alphabet's Rise: Abel promoted AI giant Alphabet to a top-five position in Berkshire's portfolio, acquiring 36.4 million Class A shares valued at approximately $23 billion, indicating the company's increasing focus on tech stocks and optimism about future growth potential.
- Cloud Computing Growth: Google Cloud's revenue surged 63% year-over-year, with a 400% increase in cloud backlog, showcasing Alphabet's strong performance in high-margin sectors, potentially becoming a leading cash-flow driver and reinforcing its competitive advantage in the market.
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Analyst Views on GOOGL
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOGL stock price to fall
33 Analyst Rating
26 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 390.130
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
Current: 390.130
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
About GOOGL
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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