2026 Berkshire Shareholders Meeting Live: Buffett Steps Down, Abel Takes Center Stage for the First Time

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The annual grand event in the investment community—the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting—kicked off this weekend in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. This is the first shareholders meeting in sixty years under Buffett’s leadership where he “steps back” behind the scenes, and also the first public “stress test” for Buffett's successor, Greg Abel.

During the Q&A session of the shareholders meeting held on the morning of Saturday, May 2 local time, Buffett sat alongside other board members, with Abel occupying the “center stage” for the first time, presiding over the entire shareholders Q&A as CEO. In the first half, he co-hosted with Vice Chairman Ajit Jain in charge of the insurance business; in the second half, he would co-host with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) CEO Katie Farmer and NetJets CEO Adam Johnson.

Having Berkshire’s subsidiary heads join Abel on stage to answer questions symbolically marks the most meaningful adjustment at this year's shareholders meeting. This move signals to the public: Berkshire’s authority will no longer depend on individual charisma, but will be built upon a more diversified operational system.

Media believe this shareholders meeting is a key juncture to test whether Abel can inherit the “Buffett premium.” Berkshire has long centered around a culture of “decentralization and permanent holdings,” while Abel has a more operational management style. Analysts generally think Abel’s appearance must answer a core issue: how to maintain Berkshire’s unique culture while demonstrating his own strategic vision.

The Q1 financial report released earlier on Saturday shows Berkshire Hathaway’s operating profit for Q1 2026 was $11.346 billion, up 18% year-over-year. Insurance underwriting profit rose 28%, railway subsidiary BNSF’s profit increased 13%, and foreign exchange gains rebounded significantly. Net investment loss narrowed from $5.038 billion in the same period last year to $1.240 billion, driving a year-over-year GAAP net profit increase of about 120%. Cash reserves at the end of Q1 were $397 billion, reaching a historic high.

In this shareholders Q&A session, whether Berkshire, which owns massive cash reserves, will increase acquisitions, stock buybacks, allocate more to technology and artificial intelligence (AI) assets, are likely hot topics. UBS said, “Considering Berkshire’s historically low allocation in technology, we expect the discussion will focus on how the company addresses technology and AI issues under Abel’s leadership.”

Like last year’s shareholders meeting live Q&A coverage, this year WallstreetCN will provide real-time updates of the highlights from the Berkshire shareholders meeting, arranged in reverse chronological order by Beijing time, with the latest updates at the top. Below is a live summary of the key points from the 2026 Berkshire Shareholders Meeting.

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