For the first time in 60 years, Warren Buffett will not be the main attraction at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting. Buffett, 95, stepped down as CEO at the end of 2025 but remains chairman of the board. Greg Abel, 63, took over as chief executive on January 1, 2026, after years of careful grooming as Buffett’s chosen successor.
Now Abel faces his first shareholder meeting in the top seat — and the pressure is real.
A Mountain of Cash, A Lagging Stock
Berkshire shares have severely underperformed since Buffett unexpectedly announced his departure last year on May 3. On a year-over-year basis, BRK stock fell 11.19%, while the S&P 500 gained 29.5% over the same period. 
Abel’s most pressing challenge is how to put Berkshire’s massive cash reserve to work, which ended 2025 at approximately $373 billion.  A pricey, AI-driven stock market has left Berkshire few deep-value opportunities for deploying that war chest  — the kind of distressed bargains that Buffett built his legend finding.
Abel has started making moves. He restarted share buybacks in March, ending a drought of more than a year.  But investors want more answers — and more action.
Proving Himself
The mood in Omaha this weekend is one of cautious watching. Some investors want to see Abel prove himself before deciding to buy more, according to Lawrence Cunningham, a governance professor at the University of Delaware, who told Reuters the market is “expressing caution.” 
Abel is considered more hands-on than his predecessor and less likely to forgive prolonged underperformance, while remaining committed to Berkshire’s culture of giving managers room to operate day-to-day. 
Key questions heading into the meeting include Berkshire‘s capital allocation strategy, potential acquisitions, succession planning beyond Abel, and the performance of major holdings including Apple, Occidental Petroleum, and the company’s insurance operations. 
Buffett remains chairman emeritus and a strategic voice on capital allocation, though Abel now holds full CEO operating authority.  Whether that arrangement reassures or unsettles long-term shareholders may be one of the more telling storylines to emerge from this weekend’s meeting.
The era after Buffett has arrived. What Greg Abel does with $373 billion — and a company carrying 60 years of legend — will define what comes next.
JBizNews Desk
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