Warren Buffett’s Iconic Tenure as CEO Concludes at Berkshire Hathaway

Last year, Warren Buffett and his team explored buying and holding companies with what they call economic moats. This term essentially refers to a strong competitive edge, which is crucial for a business’s long-term success. Buffett’s approach has shown impressive results over time.

While he initially avoided investments in the tech sector, Buffett eventually shifted his strategy. For example, Berkshire Hathaway added Apple in early 2016, Amazon in 2019, and has plans to include Alphabet in its portfolio by 2025. These choices were likely influenced by his investment managers, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs.

Certainly, these major companies boast significant moats. Yet, there’s more to consider: the Magnificent Seven stocks. Buffett has expressed a bit of regret, perhaps thinking, “I should have invested in that” for some of these opportunities.

In the past decade, Apple stock has soared by 966% (as of January 30). Amazon saw a 169% rise since the first quarter of 2019, and Alphabet grew by 39% since the end of Q3 2025. While it’s premature to fully assess Alphabet’s ongoing decisions, these investments have clearly paid off.

Nonetheless, among the “Magnificent Seven,” Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:Meta) stands out as a missed opportunity. Its stock has jumped by 177% over the last five years. Buffett has always emphasized investing in companies he thoroughly understands. He looks at their products, finances, market position, and management. It’s possible he felt uneasy about investing in Meta.

But the advantages of Meta are clear. It has a compelling economic moat thanks to its extensive social media reach. The company’s platforms thrive on network effects, a formidable competitive edge in today’s digital landscape.

These platforms improve with increased usage; the more users, the better the experience. As of Q4 2025, Meta reported an impressive 3.58 billion daily active users. By contrast, a competing social platform with just a few hundred users would struggle to attract engagement.

Moreover, Meta has the ability to gather vast amounts of valuable data, which enhances its algorithms and boosts user engagement, while also giving advertisers sharper targeting capabilities.

This marks a new chapter for Berkshire Hathaway. With Buffett stepping down, Greg Abel is now at the helm. Perhaps we’ll see the company venture into sectors it previously shied away from.

It’s worth pondering the possibilities for investors looking at Meta Platforms stock. What will the future bring? Only time will tell.