Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on Life, Legacy and Lessons (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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I’ve been a Warren Buffett fan for years. He’s so down to earth, practical and smart.
When Warren Buffett speaks, the world listens.
For more than six decades, he has been a voice of calm reason through every storm, every bubble, and every so-called revolution in business.
As he prepares to hand leadership of Berkshire Hathaway to Greg Abel, I loved reading his final annual letter. Reading Buffett today feels different. In a time when AI, crypto, and automation are reshaping our world at lightning speed, his words remind us of something enduring. Technology changes, but values do not.
Success, he reminds us, is not just about money. It is about meaning.
Here are ten lessons from Warren Buffett’s lifetime of leadership, each one a guide for us all.
1. Warren Buffett Urges Us to Invest in what you understand
Buffett has always been clear about this. Never invest in something you cannot explain. His discipline kept him away from fads and fueled decades of consistent results.
When it comes to AI, he admits he does not fully understand it, a humility worth emulating in a world where leaders sometimes pretend to know more than they do.
His message for today’s innovators is simple. Seek understanding before jumping in.
2. Value over vibes (Bitcoin) Is A Warren Buffett Mandate
Buffett’s simple truth still holds. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
That lens explains his caution toward Bitcoin and crypto, which he calls assets that do not produce anything.
In contrast, he has said that true innovation, including AI, must ultimately create real value for people and businesses. He challenges us to look past speculation and focus on sustainable impact.
3. A Lesson Repeated by Warren Buffett: Compounding beats chasing
The secret of Berkshire Hathaway’s success is patience.
Buffett’s approach is a lesson in letting time do the work. In an era where AI startups can rise and fall in months and Bitcoin can swing wildly overnight, his philosophy reminds us that lasting success still comes from time, trust, and compounding.
4. Avoid what does not produce: A Warren Buffett Mantra
Buffett once said that if he owned all the Bitcoin in the world, he would not keep it because it does not do anything. His point was never to reject innovation, but to remind us that progress must serve purpose. The same thinking applies to AI models trained for novelty rather than need. Technology must solve problems, not just impress audiences.
Warren Buffett invested in IBM at one time. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)
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I still remember the buzz at IBM when Buffett invested in the company. I was there at the time, and it felt like a powerful endorsement of the people and the purpose behind the technology. Buffett had always been cautious with tech, but he saw value in IBM’s ability to generate real cash flow and serve real customers. It was a reminder that even the most disciplined investors can evolve when they see long-term value built on substance, not speculation. He did later sell his shares.
5. Embrace change, but stay grounded
At his 2024 shareholder meeting, Buffett called AI a real game changer but warned that it comes with risks. He does hold two AI Stocks: Apple and Amazon. He compared its power to a genie out of a bottle and even to nuclear weapons in terms of what it can unleash if misused.
He has been equally firm about Bitcoin, reminding investors that excitement should never replace judgment. His perspective is both cautious and clear.
Warren Buffett has long been a vocal critic of cryptocurrency, once calling Bitcoin “rat poison squared,” and he personally holds no investments in Web3, blockchain, crypto, or Bitcoin. He has repeatedly argued that such assets lack intrinsic value and produce nothing tangible.
However, Berkshire Hathaway, the company he leads, has some indirect exposure through its broader portfolio. It invested $750 million in the Brazilian digital bank Nu Holdings, which later launched Nucripto and its own token, Nucoin, one of Berkshire’s stronger-performing bets. The company also owns a stake in Jefferies Financial Group, which in turn holds shares in the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, the world’s largest spot Bitcoin fund, giving Berkshire an indirect link to the crypto ecosystem despite Buffett’s personal skepticism.
Nu Holdings (Nubank) is one of Warren Buffett’s investments. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Great power requires great ethics.
6. Learn and move forward, A Lesson Warren Buffett Learned Early
Buffett has made mistakes, and he is the first to say so. His advice is not to dwell on them but to learn and move on. “Don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes.
Learn at least a little from them and move on.” That philosophy mirrors how AI systems improve through iteration and feedback. Progress, whether human or machine, depends on learning fast and moving forward with purpose.
7. Build for the long term
He believes real leaders build enduring companies. Berkshire’s steady record of reinvestment and tax responsibility reflects this view. It is a useful reminder for crypto and AI founders that quick exits may build fortune, but not legacy. Value built over decades creates trust, reputation, and true impact.
8. Choose the right heroes, Warren Buffett Picks a Few
Buffett has often said that Tom Murphy was the best business manager he ever met. He believes in finding role models who live the values you admire and learning from them.
For AI leaders, that means seeking mentors who combine technical vision with moral clarity.
For Bitcoin believers, it means following those who use technology to expand access, not exploit it.
9. Respect every person, One of Warren Buffett’s Greatest Lessons
One of his most powerful lines is also one of his simplest. “The cleaning lady is as much a human being as the Chairman.” It captures humility, empathy, and equality.
As we design AI systems that make decisions affecting people’s lives, this truth is more relevant than ever. Technology must never forget the human behind the data.
10. Define your legacy, with what Warren Buffett Defines as Critical
In his final reflections, Buffett encourages us to decide what we want our obituary to say and live the life that earns it. “When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world.”
In a time when AI and Bitcoin promise to reshape wealth and work, Buffett’s measure of greatness remains timeless, kindness, integrity, and the difference we make in the lives of others.
Warren Buffett’s transition marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.
Greg Abel will lead Berkshire into the future, but Buffett’s words will continue to guide generations of leaders. His views on AI and crypto may sound conservative, but they are rooted in timeless truth.
Understand what you invest in. Measure progress by value, not hype. Lead with character, not ego.
In a world of fast technology and faster change, his final lesson feels like a quiet whisper that still cuts through the noise.
Success is temporary. Legacy is forever, accordingly to Warren Buffett.