Back before the 2000s, Warren Buffett was well known for his general disdain for tech stocks. During the dot-com bubble back in 1999, he (rightly) warned that most internet start-ups would eventually flop. According to reports, this warning resonated deeply with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos. “[Bezos] changed his method of managing the company,” says Milton Berg, a former advisor to George Soros and Stanley Druckenmiller. “He didn’t want Buffett to be right.”
More than two decades later, Amazon is still in business, having become one of the largest companies in the world, with a market cap of $2.1 trillion. As for Buffett, he eventually adjusted his views on tech stocks, and his holding company Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) owns several tech stocks and has become one of Amazon’s largest shareholders.
According to the latest 13F filings, Berkshire’s publicly traded portfolio includes around 40 stock holdings. Amazon is the 17th largest holding on the list, with a total stake of 10 million shares worth roughly $1.8 billion. That represents 0.1% of Amazon’s total share count. Berkshire has owned Amazon stock since the first quarter of 2019. Since then, the share price has more than doubled.
Berkshire’s original stake was valued at around $860 million. According to Buffett, the investment was initiated by one of his lieutenants, either Todd Combs or Ted Weschler. At the time, Buffett jokingly added that he had been “an idiot” for not initiating the investment himself. Share price appreciation has contributed most to Berkshire’s growing stake in Amazon, but the firm hasn’t remained steadfast in its investment. It sold some Amazon stock as recently as last summer when it trimmed its stake by 550,000 shares.
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John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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