Berkshire’s first tech Read after Apple — ~$25.4B into Alphabet.
A wide-moat cash machine at a rational ~29x — the discipline that bought the railroads, pointed at tech. Berkshire’s first-ever Google position surfaced quietly in the Q3 2025 13F, then roughly tripled in Greg Abel’s debut quarter as CEO, funded in the same window it was trimming Apple. The break from pattern is the sector; the discipline is textbook.
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Berkshire’s first-ever Google position surfaced quietly — ~17.85M shares (~$4.3B) in the Q3 2025 13F. Then, in Greg Abel’s debut quarter as CEO, Berkshire roughly tripled it to ~58M shares for a ~$15.4B cost basis (~$16.6B market value), funded in the same window it was trimming Apple. Pro forma for the separate $10B June 2026 placement, total committed capital is ~$25.4B — a top-five-caliber holding.
The read is a wide-moat cash machine bought at a rational ~29x earnings — below Apple, Amazon, and Nvidia despite faster growth. This isn’t a value-investor steal and it isn’t a momentum chase; it’s the Berkshire discipline that bought the railroads, applied to a business it had historically avoided. The break from pattern is the sector. The discipline — durable moat, owner earnings, price paid relative to quality — is textbook.
Two things make this Read worth studying. First, the sequencing: trimming Apple while building Alphabet is a tell about how the new CEO thinks about concentration and relative quality inside the equity book. Second, the entry multiple: ~29x for a business compounding faster than the megacaps trading above it is the kind of relative-value gap Berkshire has historically been willing to act on. The author’s lens; not a price target, not a recommendation.
Independent editorial analysis · Not affiliated with or endorsed by Alphabet Inc. or Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
This case study is independent editorial and educational analysis of publicly available information about Alphabet Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The Baratelli Institute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise connected to either company. Google®, Alphabet®, Berkshire Hathaway®, and related marks are the property of their respective owners. No claim is made to any such marks by the Baratelli Institute. Analysis draws exclusively on publicly disclosed information (SEC filings, 13F filings, press releases, earnings call transcripts, investor materials, journalist reporting); no non-public information has been received from either company. Presented for educational and editorial purposes under principles of fair use and fair comment on publicly traded companies. Nothing in this analysis constitutes investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold securities. Consult licensed advisors before investment decisions.
This is an educational case study, not investment advice, not a research report, not a buy/sell rating, not a price target, not an allocation recommendation. Every number traces to a public filing. The Institute is not a registered investment adviser; this is a Lowe v. SEC publisher-exception publication.
Every analytical move in this case study cross-references a Guide chapter. If you want to learn the methodology in full, the Guides are where it’s taught.
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