Apple has been lauded as "ungodly well-managed" by billionaire investor Charlie Munger, Yahoo Finance reports.
In an exclusive interview, the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman told Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer:
I think Apple is one of the strong companies and will stay a strong company. I think it's ungodly well-managed.
Apple is now Berkshire Hathaway's largest stock holding, and the stake is a significant proportion of the value of the conglomerate holding company itself. In recent years, Berkshire Hathaway has sought to bolster its stake of Apple and other big tech companies such as Amazon. Munger emphasized that he is most impressed by Apple:
I judge the strength of the company based on how much the customers love it. And I've got zillions of friends who they'd almost part with their right arm before they'd part with their iPhone. That's a hugely powerful position to be in.
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett often praises Apple's success and, as of September 2021, the company owned 5.5 percent of Apple with 907.6 million shares.
Last month, Apple became the world's first company worth three trillion dollars. At its last earnings report, Apple reported quarterly revenue of $123.9 billion, an all-time quarterly record for the company. On a category-by-category basis, the company also set all-time quarterly revenue records for the iPhone, Mac, Wearables, and Services.
Top Rated Comments
Using a Mac used to feel like you were floating above the crap pile that is using technology (my objective view is that technology doesn't really make our lives better, it makes people money).
Tim Cook realized they could make a lot more money if they brought the quality down to the point where the Mac experience SITS at the top of the crap pile.
So it stinks more, but it's still the best choice.
The result: Way more profit.
I accept this, not because I like it, but because I have no choice.
EDIT: All in all, I actually think Tim Cook has done a really great job, and even though I said there was a quality reduction, in many ways everything is better now. Like others have said it's hard to know how much Tim Cook is involved in product design/development. I think in many ways Jobs had unrealistic expectations and goals, sometimes he got close or even nailed it, but there were lots of flops. When I say "Tim lowered the quality" I feel like it was a strategic move to help the company take a long approach to things.
I've never thought of switching to another platform, but no more than ever I'm so happy to be using lots of Apple stuff.
The egos here will never be able to admit a simple fact: Tim has done an amazing job growing one of the most successful businesses on the planet. And it was made that much more challenging following such an industry icon as Steve. But remember, Steve wasn’t looking for another Steve. He knew Apple needed more when he hand-picked Tim. And it’s clear, Steve was right.
You’d think as much as some applaud every decision Steve made that they would have been more welcoming and supportive of Tim. The anti-Tim sentiment is so bizarre.
Anyway, despite popular opinion here, from my perspective, Tim deserves a lot of credit for where Apple sits today.