Berkshire Hathaway Bought $10 Billion of Alphabet Straight From the Company, Bypassing the Open Market

Berkshire Hathaway acquired $10 billion of Alphabet stock through a private placement rather than open-market purchases, splitting the buy between Class A and Class C shares. The position now represents 10.2% of Berkshire's equity portfolio, tied as the third-largest holding.

The transaction marks a strategic pivot under CEO Greg Abel, who inherited leadership from Warren Buffett. Buffett historically shunned technology stocks for decades, making this direct $10 billion commitment to Alphabet a departure from Berkshire's traditional playbook. The private placement structure allowed Berkshire to deploy capital at scale without moving public markets.

The deal demonstrates Abel's willingness to tap Berkshire's cash reserves—long a focus for shareholders—while signaling institutional confidence in Alphabet's valuation. Private placements at this size typically involve negotiated pricing and bypass the liquidity constraints of open-market accumulation.

Berkshire now holds meaningful stakes in both GOOGL and GOOG, positioning the conglomerate alongside Apple as a major tech bet within the portfolio. The 10.2% weighting places Alphabet alongside Berkshire's longtime core holdings by concentration.