• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Finance

Warren Buffett: Not Buying Google Is Berkshire Hathaway’s Biggest Mistake

By
Jen Wieczner
Jen Wieczner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jen Wieczner
Jen Wieczner
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 6, 2017, 5:13 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

At the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting Saturday, CEO Warren Buffett made a startling admission. After surprising investors recently with his giant bet on Apple stock, the Oracle of Omaha—long averse to Silicon Valley companies—says he now wishes he’d bought more technology stocks when he had the chance.

Apple (AAPL) has been Buffett’s greatest hit over the past year, boosting Berkshire’s portfolio by about $2 billion in 2017 alone after the investor loaded up on more of the iPhone maker’s stock. Now, Buffett is kicking himself for not taking advantage of the opportunity to buy stock in Google (GOOGL) shortly after it went public more than a dozen years ago.

The founders of the company now called Alphabet even came to see Buffett shortly after the tech company’s IPO with an investment prospectus, but the legendary stock-picker passed. “I knew the guys,” Buffett said at the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) meeting. “And so I had plenty of ways to ask questions or anything of the sort and educate myself, but I blew it.”

Buffett’s business partner and Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charlie Munger regrets that decision even more. “If you asked me in retrospect what was our worst mistake in the tech field,” that was it, Munger said at the meeting.

“I think we were smart enough to figure out Google—those ads worked so much better in the early days than anything else—so I would say that we failed you there,” Munger said. “We were smart enough to do it, and we didn’t do it.”

In fact, Berkshire’s insurance subsidiary Geico was an early customer of Google, buying ads on the search engine for “$10 to $11 a click,” so the investors had a front row seat seat to the business’ growth, Buffett said. “Any time you’re paying somebody $10 or $11 when somebody just punches a little thing where you’ve got no cost at all, that’s a good business,” he added. “You’ve almost never seen a business like it.”

Explaining his decision to invest in Apple after so many years of steering clear of the tech industry, Buffett said he sees the company as less of a technology company than a consumer products company (as opposed to IBM (IBM), whose stock the investor announced that he is selling this week). But Buffett also noted a fundamental change in the market that has made him see tech differently, observing that the five most valuable American companies are now worth a whopping more than $2.5 trillion combined.

Those five companies, in order of market value, are Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN) and Facebook (FB). “And if you take those five companies, essentially you could run them with no equity capital at all,” Buffett said. “You literally don’t need any money to run the five companies that are collectively worth more than $2.5 trillion.”

“That is a different world than what existed in the past,” he added, comparing the “capital-light” nature of Internet and cloud computing companies to the capital-intensive industrial and steel businesses that he invested in earlier in his career. “But this is so much better if you happen to be good at it.”

Given his views on the compelling case for those companies, a shareholder asked Buffett during the annual meeting’s Q&A why Berkshire had never invested in Amazon. “I was too dumb to realize what was going to happen,” Buffett responded, saying he “never even considered” buying Amazon stock, despite his great respect for the e-commerce company’s founder, Jeff Bezos. “I admired Jeff but I did not think he’d succeed on the scale that he has,” Buffett said, noting that Amazon’s lucrative foray into the cloud services business never occurred to him a few years ago. “I really underestimated the brilliance of the execution.”

But for Berkshire’s executives, the one that got away, so to speak, is really Alphabet. “I don’t feel any regret about missing out on the achievements of Amazon,” Munger said. “Other things were easy, and I think we screwed up a little.” When Buffett declined to comment on those screw-ups, Munger clarified: “I meant Google.”

In the future, though, Berkshire is likely to make more bets on tech, Munger hinted. “I think it’s a very good sign that you bought the Apple stock,” Munger told Buffett. “It shows either one of two things: Either you’ve gone crazy or you’re learning. I prefer the learning explanation.”

About the Author
By Jen Wieczner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

A man pumps his car with gas.
EconomyInflation
U.S. companies swallowed the oil shock. They’re not sure they can do it again
By Sasha RogelbergJune 25, 2026
41 minutes ago
Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
Arts & Entertainmentprivate equity
Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
stock
InvestingMarkets
How one chip stock reversed the global tech selloff, exposed AI’s ‘memory tax’ and made the case for an entire valuation regime change
By Nick LichtenbergJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Paris court gives oil giant Total Energies half a year to tighten climate policies. Climate activists cry foul
EnergyEurope
Paris court gives oil giant Total Energies half a year to tighten climate policies. Climate activists cry foul
By The Associated Press, Molly Quell and Sylvie CorbetJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Students happy outside of school
SuccessColleges and Universities
One U.S. college is fixing tuition at just 10% of parental income: ‘We’re not hiding the cost of college behind secret formulas’
By Emma BurleighJune 25, 2026
5 hours ago
Personal Liability Insurance for Homeowners: Coverage and Common Exclusions Explained
Personal FinanceInsurance
Personal Liability Insurance for Homeowners: Coverage and Common Exclusions Explained
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
13 hours ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
2 days ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
Success
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 25, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.