When should Greg & Ajit join WEB & CM on the BRK Annual Meeting Stage?

[nickenumbers]

When do you all think Greg Abel and Ajit Jain join WEB and CM on the BRK annual shareholder meeting Q&A stage? 

 

My vote is NOW/ASAP.

 

Thoughts?

[Lemsip]

Agreed and it would be good to see them discuss issues of corporate capital allocation in general, not just operational performance of their respective businesses.

[Guest longinvestor]

I’m good with them joining once current Chairman and VC turn 100 each. In the meantime they can continue to stay marooned in the island doing whatever they do for shareholders. Educating the world can be skipped as far as I care.

[Guest longinvestor]

I wouldn’t mind if they both do a short write up each in the annual report. State of the Business type

[nickenumbers]

I’m good with them joining once current Chairman and VC turn 100 each. In the meantime they can continue to stay marooned in the island doing whatever they do for shareholders. Educating the world can be skipped as far as I care.

 

Longinvestor, why?  Wouldn't it be more harmonious to have them join now in some capacity?  The investors and stakeholders could start to see their faces more and hear their voices.  Even if it is only 10% of the time.

 

I understand that we can't have too many cooks in the kitchen, but waiting too much longer seems strange to me as WEB is 88, and CM is 95.

 

PS- I love your word selection and mental picture of Greg and Ajit on distant islands.  ;-]

[Guest longinvestor]

I’m good with them joining once current Chairman and VC turn 100 each. In the meantime they can continue to stay marooned in the island doing whatever they do for shareholders. Educating the world can be skipped as far as I care.

 

Longinvestor, why?  Wouldn't it be more harmonious to have them join now in some capacity?  The investors and stakeholders could start to see their faces more and hear their voices.  Even if it is only 10% of the time.

 

I understand that we can't have too many cooks in the kitchen, but waiting too much longer seems strange to me as WEB is 88, and CM is 95.

 

PS- I love your word selection and mental picture of Greg and Ajit on distant islands.  ;-]

 

I think that the annual meeting as it’s conducted today is pure bonus. It happens only because Buffett ‘s primary calling is to teach about investing. The reason we want to listen to him the most is that he’s a most credible investor. As in a 70 year record that essentially has laid even nobel prize winning theories low. As close to the master of the investing universe.

 

It’s enough of a challenge for Ajit and Abel to allocate capital. Why do they need the challenge of conducting annual meetings like this? I am good with them keeping their mouth shut for most of the time. As I think about this, if Artificial Intelligence is up to it, someone should take everything that Buffett and Munger have ever said and use that at future annual meetings. If future managers willingly do the meeting I will take it but all I care about is some minimal communication. What we have today is bonus.

[nickenumbers]

longinvestor,

 

I see where you are coming from.  If we view the Annual Meeting as a teaching/coaching 4 hour session where the masters [WEB + CM] are happy to answer questions as their gift and personal duty to society. 

 

You are in a way INVERTING the exercise as it relates to Abel and Jain playing high stakes capital allocation on behalf of the shareholder/partners of BRK.  Better to NOT have them on the stage answering questions and giving away their ideas and positional/knowledge advantage.  Better to have them sequestered on a desert island allocating capital on behalf of the wealth of BRK.

 

Okay- I can see your position.

 

We as student investors are not learning directly from Abel +Jain, but as investors in BRK we get growth in shareholder value from them.

 

If WEB + CM are following your strategy, they are as positively shrewd as ever..