Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, is recognized as a highly accomplished and influential business figure. He has collaborated with his friend Bill Gates on numerous philanthropic endeavors, with their friendship commencing 30 years ago.
Here is how they met. According to CNBC’s report on Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in 2000, one audience member asked Buffett how his relationship with Gates began and evolved.
Buffett replied, saying, “During the July 4th weekend in 1991, I had the opportunity to visit Meg Greenfield, a Washington Post editor residing in Washington state at that time. Being friends with Gates’ parents, Greenfield arranged for me to meet them. Initially, Gates had little interest in our meeting, as he held a low regard for investors and their profession.
“We hit it off immediately,” he added. “We had a great time. He had this chimpanzee to whom he would try and explain this technical stuff. But I was an interesting chimpanzee to him, and he’s a terrific teacher.”
Talking about his first meeting with Buffett, Gates said in an interview with the New York Times in 2019: “I didn’t even want to meet Warren because I thought, ‘Hey, this guy buys and sells [companies],’ and so he found imperfections in terms of markets – that’s not value-added to society, that’s a zero-sum game that is almost parasitic. That was my view before I met him.”
In a blog post in 2016, Gates said, “I don’t remember the exact day I first met most of my friends, but with Warren Buffett, I do. It was 25 years ago today: July 5, 1991. The date stands out in my mind so clearly because it marked the beginning of a new and unexpected friendship for Melinda and me — one that has changed our lives for the better in every imaginable way.
“Warren has helped us do two things that are impossible to overdo in one lifetime: learn more and laugh more,” Gates added.
In August 2020, Gates baked a cake to commemorate Buffett’s 90th birthday, showcasing their enduring bond.
With their special connection, both billionaires are undoubtedly grateful for not missing that pivotal Fourth of July gathering three decades ago.
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Edited by Arnab Nandy
