Berkshire Hathaway Discloses $4.3 Billion Alphabet Stake as Buffett Prepares Exit

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A; BRK.B) revealed a surprising new investment in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), disclosing a $4.3 billion stake in the Google parent company in its latest quarterly filing. The position, totaling 17.85 million shares as of September 30, marks one of the firm’s largest new tech investments in years… and the most significant third-quarter addition by dollar value.

Alphabet shares rose 1.7% in after-hours trading following the news, while Berkshire’s Class B shares edged higher.The move comes just weeks before Warren Buffett formally steps down as Berkshire CEO after a legendary six-decade run, with Greg Abel set to assume leadership in 2026. It remains unclear whether the Alphabet investment was initiated by Buffett himself, Abel, or Berkshire’s portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, who have been taking on greater responsibility for the firm’s equity holdings.The Alphabet purchase surprised many observers given Buffett’s historical aversion to high-growth tech stocks. While Berkshire holds massive stakes in Apple, Buffett has often characterized that investment as a “consumer products” play rather than a pure technology bet.

At Berkshire’s 2019 annual meeting, Buffett and late vice chairman Charlie Munger famously admitted they had “screwed up” by not buying Google earlier, despite recognizing the effectiveness of its advertising business through Berkshire-owned Geico.At the time, Buffett remarked that Alphabet’s ad dominance “should have been obvious,” but the company “just sat there sucking our thumbs.”

The Alphabet stake… Berkshire’s largest new purchase in dollar terms this quarter… overshadowed a $1.2 billion increase in its holding of Chubb and came alongside notable reductions in two of Berkshire’s biggest positions.The firm cut its Apple holdings by nearly 15%, selling roughly $10.6 billion worth of shares. Berkshire now holds about 238 million Apple shares, valued around $64.9 billion, which still represents 21% of its total portfolio.

Berkshire also trimmed its Bank of America stake by 6.1%, or about $1.9 billion, leaving 568 million shares worth $29.9 billion… about 10% of the equity portfolio.Combined, the adjustments highlight a gradual diversification effort as Buffett prepares to transition leadership to Abel.

Friday’s filing followed Buffett’s Thanksgiving letter to shareholders, in which he announced he would “go quiet — sort of.” The 94-year-old investor confirmed Abel will write future annual letters and take questions at the shareholder meeting, while Buffett will remain involved through advisory notes and philanthropic planning.In the letter, Buffett also revealed plans to increase charitable distributions from his Class A shares to foundations run by his three children, part of his goal to have “virtually my entire estate” donated during their lifetimes.

Despite his planned step back, Buffett emphasized confidence in Abel, calling him “a great manager, a tireless worker, and an honest communicator.”Investors greeted the Alphabet news enthusiastically, with the stock gaining as much as 3.5% in after-hours trading when the news first broke. Alphabet shares are up more than 50% year-to-date, including a 37% gain in the third quarter, reflecting investor optimism around the company’s AI initiatives and advertising rebound.

Whether the move signals a strategic shift toward big tech or a one-off opportunity remains to be seen, but the investment marks a symbolic passing of the torch in Berkshire’s evolution…and perhaps the clearest sign yet that the Oracle of Omaha’s next chapter has already begun.

About Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A; BRK.B), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is a diversified multinational conglomerate holding company led by Chairman Warren E. Buffett. Its subsidiaries operate across insurance, energy, manufacturing, retail, and transportation sectors. As of September 30, 2025, Berkshire’s equity portfolio totaled approximately $283 billion.

About Alphabet Inc.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is the parent company of Google and a global leader in internet services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital advertising. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, Alphabet operates businesses including YouTube, Google Cloud, Waymo, and DeepMind.

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Alphabet and Apple as mentioned in the article.