OMAHA — Greg Abel became CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the start of 2026, succeeding Warren Buffett in a leadership transition at the Omaha-based conglomerate. Buffett, who is no longer the company's chief executive officer, remains chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.

The transition placed Abel at the helm of a corporation structured as a decentralized group of autonomous subsidiaries. That organizational design had allowed Buffett to concentrate on identifying deals and investment opportunities rather than managing the individual businesses directly. With Abel now overseeing operations across those subsidiaries, Buffett said his successor is highly capable of running the company and managing its broad portfolio of businesses.

"Greg covers more ground in a day than I would in a week, even when I was at my peak, let alone my present condition," he said.

Under the new leadership arrangement, Abel has been receiving calls from businesses seeking a cash-rich buyer like Berkshire. He consults with Buffett when those inquiries come through. Buffett said he continues to help identify investments but will not purchase any that Abel considers wrong. He also said he has made one small purchase since Abel assumed the chief executive role.

Buffett described a contrast in how the two executives handle incoming business pitches, saying he typically cuts off investment bankers within 10 to 15 seconds of their calls, while Abel speaks with them for longer periods of time.

"It isn't like he's as fanatic as I was in terms of running the place, but with no more apparent effort, he just covers so many bases," he said. "I don't know where he gets this time, because he plays hockey."

Despite stepping down as chief executive, Buffett continues to travel to Berkshire headquarters in downtown Omaha five days a week. "I don't accomplish hardly anything. It just takes me way longer to do things," he said of his current daily routine at the office.

Before Abel's appointment as CEO, Buffett wrote his annual shareholder letter once a year, a practice that had served as his primary form of public communication with the company's investors.