Berkshire Hathaway has accumulated a $37.4 billion position in Alphabet, making the Google parent its third-largest equity holding and confirming Warren Buffett's late-career shift toward technology stocks. The stake represents a little over 10% of Berkshire's $358 billion stock portfolio, built almost entirely in 2026 after a modest toehold in late 2025.
The accumulation timeline
Berkshire first bought 17.8 million Class A shares in the third quarter of 2025, a commitment of roughly $5 billion at the time. The position then expanded sharply: 36.4 million A shares in the first quarter of 2026, another 24.5 million A shares in the second quarter, and 27.2 million Class C shares across the year. The source does not disclose average purchase prices for any tranche, nor does it specify whether the C shares were acquired in a single quarter or spread across the first half.
Buffett's fingerprints
In a July interview with CNBC, Buffett stated plainly: "I initiated it." The disclosure came after his announced retirement as CEO at the end of 2025, a period he had described as focused on cleaning up loose ends rather than adding new names. The scale of the 2026 buying, more than seven times the initial outlay, suggests the decision was not a token gesture by a lieutenant.
The Abel dynamic
Buffett framed the current governance as a mutual veto: "I am not doing anything that he [Greg Abel] doesn't approve of. He's not doing anything I don't approve of. We talk all the time, but he is the decider." Abel became CEO in 2026. The arrangement leaves the practical allocation authority ambiguous, though the Alphabet purchases occurred on Abel's watch with Buffett's explicit endorsement.
What the numbers don't show
Buffett added that he likes Alphabet less than "at least four or five other businesses that we own." The portfolio's top two positions, Apple and an unnamed holding, remain larger. The source provides no cost basis, no break-even level, and no indication of whether Berkshire has finished buying. The stake was acquired in the open market; there is no premium, break fee, or change-of-control condition to report.