Buffett Says Tim Cook Made Berkshire More Money Than He Ever Did

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett offered rare public praise for Apple CEO Tim Cook at the holding company's annual shareholder meeting on Saturday, during which Buffett confirmed he was stepping down.

warren buffett 1
"I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that Tim Cook has made Berkshire a lot more money than I've ever made," Buffett told the audience, alluding to the 680% surge in Apple's stock since Berkshire first began acquiring shares in early 2016.

Buffett also reflected on the late Steve Jobs and credited him for building Apple, but he was quick to underline Cook's contributions to the company's success. "Nobody but Steve could have created Apple, but nobody but Tim could have developed it as he has," he said.

The 94-year-old investor, who announced his intention to step down as CEO by year's end, made billions investing in Apple despite his long-standing wariness of tech investments. At one point in 2024, Buffett was even Apple's largest investor outside of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

In 2024, Berkshire's stake in Apple was valued at $174 billion, which the company had acquired for $40 billion over several years. That said, the conglomerate has been shedding its holdings in the company throughout the past year, and it has now sold nearly 70% of the 905 million shares it held at its peak.

Since Cook took over as CEO in 2011, Apple's stock has seen remarkable growth, climbing from under $15 on a split-adjusted basis to $205. The roughly 14-fold increase has propelled Apple's market capitalisation to over $3 trillion.

Buffett, known as the Oracle of Omaha and arguably the world's most successful investor, told his company's annual meeting he would hand over the reins to vice-chairman Greg Abel.


"There's never been someone like Warren, and countless people, myself included, have been inspired by his wisdom," Cook wrote on X (Twitter) after attending the shareholder meeting. "It's been one of the great privileges of my life to know him. And there's no question that Warren is leaving Berkshire in great hands with Greg."

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Top Rated Comments

Arran Avatar
25 weeks ago

I should have took risk and bought 4,000 shares, which would have cost me $312,800—worth about ₱12.6 million then at a ₱40.29 exchange rate.

Now in 2025, after multiple stock splits (28-for-1 total), those 4,000 shares have become 112,000 shares. With Apple now trading at $198.89, my portfolio would be worth a stunning:

? $22.28 million
? Or ₱1.24 billion at today's ₱55.60 rate

It’s nice to dream about what could have been, but you can’t ignore risk. Few have $312,800 laying around they can afford to lose if the bet goes the wrong way. $312,000 in 2008 was a couple of houses.

So, if it was a “bet the farm” (and your kids’ college fund) sort-of investment, then as soon as you’d (say) doubled your money, the smart move would have been to sell half, take profits and diversify your portfolio. Hindsight only works backwards.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JanoschR Avatar
25 weeks ago
In terms of money, Cook was exactly the right person for Apple at the right time.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swingerofbirch Avatar
25 weeks ago
I wish that people were embarrassed that money itself is their product.

I'm not saying it should be illegal to invest, but with a bit of shame it might not grow to such a preposterous scale.

Prostitution, for example, exists and is legal in some places like Nevada. But there are no titans of that industry who are exalted.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pitogyro Avatar
25 weeks ago
Buffet's statement about the money Cook made him has finally solidified what Cook will be remembered for.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
green_diyos Avatar
25 weeks ago
I’ve been reflecting on an investment I should've made when I was living in Florida back in 2009. The markets were still shaking from the financial crisis, and Apple ($AAPL) stock had dropped to just $78.20 per share. I should have took risk and bought 4,000 shares, which would have cost me $312,800—worth about ₱12.6 million then at a ₱40.29 exchange rate.

Now in 2025, after multiple stock splits (28-for-1 total), those 4,000 shares have become 112,000 shares. With Apple now trading at $198.89, my portfolio would be worth a stunning:

? $22.28 million
? Or ₱1.24 billion at today's ₱55.60 rate

And that’s just capital appreciation.

Since Apple started paying dividends in 2012 (3.5 years later), I’d now be earning:


* ₱1.43 million per quarter in dividends
* That’s over ₱15,000 per day just from holding
* Over the past year, that’s ₱5.6 million in passive income

In short, that one bold move in 2009 would have now generate me more in quarterly dividends than I ever imagined earning in a year. And the total value? Grew 71x in USD, and nearly 100x in pesos.

The lesson? Hold quality. Be patient. Don’t underestimate long-term compounding, especially with companies like Apple. I didn’t buy a stock—I bought a lifelong cash machine.

[HR][/HR]

[HEADING=2]? Apple Investment Journey: 2009 to 2025[/HEADING]

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TH]Metric[/TH]
[TH]Jan 20, 2009[/TH]
[TH]May 6, 2025[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Forex ($ → ₱)[/TD]
[TD]₱40.29[/TD]
[TD]₱55.60[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AAPL Price[/TD]
[TD]$78.20[/TD]
[TD]$198.89[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Effective Pre-Split Price[/TD]
[TD]$5,568.92[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Stock Splits[/TD]
[TD]28-for-1 (cumulative)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Shares Owned[/TD]
[TD]4,000 (pre-split)[/TD]
[TD]112,000 (post-split)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Portfolio Value ($)[/TD]
[TD]$312,800.00[/TD]
[TD]$22,275,680.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Portfolio Value (₱)[/TD]
[TD]₱12,602,712.00[/TD]
[TD]₱1,238,594,713.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Years Until First Dividend[/TD]
[TD]3.56[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Quarterly Dividend per Share[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]$0.23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Quarterly Dividend Total ($)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]$25,760.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Quarterly Dividend Total (₱)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]₱1,432,333.37[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Daily Dividend (₱)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]₱15,696.80[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Last 4 Quarters Dividend Total ($)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]$100,800.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Last 4 Quarters Dividend (₱)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]₱5,604,782.75[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Daily Dividend (₱, annualized)[/TD]
[TD]-[/TD]
[TD]₱15,355.57[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Godspeed8230 Avatar
25 weeks ago
Imagine: Instead of buying Apple products you would have purchased shares.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)