Buffett will drop a message to shareholders for the first time in 60 years at the helm of Berkshire - WSJ

Legendary investor Warren Buffett will not write the traditional annual letter to his Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in February 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an aide to the billionaire. This duty will be assumed by Buffett's successor - the current vice chairman of Berkshire's non-insurance operations, Greg Abel.

In addition, Buffett is also not planning to chair Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in May - Abel will take those duties as well. But Buffett will attend along with other Berkshire board members, WSJ reports.

At the same time, the legendary investor still intends to publish a separate letter on Nov. 10 - in time for Thanksgiving - addressed to his children and shareholders, Buffett's aide clarified in a WSJ commentary.

Buffett has shared his thoughts with Berkshire shareholders every year since at least 1965 (the book begins in that year). Letters from 1977 onwards are available on the Berkshire website.

Although in recent years Buffett appeared less and less in public and rarely gave interviews, he continued to write letters to shareholders, accompanying them with annual reports of the conglomerate, notes Bloomberg. These messages, which became iconic among investors around the world, combined advice, observations and ironic comments, thanks to which the billionaire acquired the image of a wise businessman, the publication adds.

"Getting Buffett's annual letter was like Christmas morning for me," Christopher Davis of Hudson Value Partners said in comments to Bloomberg. - Now Berkshire shareholders face a new stage - hearing Mr. Abel's voice in the letter and on stage in Omaha."

In a 2025 message released in late February, Buffett wrote that he remains optimistic about U.S. companies and prioritizes them in his investment portfolio. The billionaire also assured that despite a record $334 billion in cachet, the vast majority of Berkshire's capital remains in equities, and that priority will not change.

The 95-year-old billionaire plans to step down as CEO of Berkshire at the end of 2025, handing over leadership of the company, which he has led since 1965, to 63-year-old Abel. Buffett will retain his position as chairman of Berkshire's board of directors.

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