When Warren Buffett decided to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, passing the baton to Greg Abel, many were – and remain – concerned that the holding company would "lose its grip" without the "Oracle of Omaha" at the helm of investment decisions.

These concerns were reflected in the performance of Berkshire Hathaway 's shares on Friday, January 2nd, Abel's second day in charge – around 3:39 pm, the Class A shares were down 1.79%.

Faced with these concerns, the legendary investor once again came forward to calm things down. In an interview with CNBC , Buffett, 95, stated that Berkshire Hathaway is better positioned than other companies for the long term.

"I think it [Berkshire Hathaway] has a better chance of still being here 100 years from now than any other company I can imagine," he said.

He also reinforced his support for Abel , who took over the company's leadership on Thursday, January 1st. The executive, who had been vice president of Berkshire's non-insurance businesses since 2018, was formally appointed as his successor in May of last year, a decision already agreed upon since 2021.

“Greg will be the one making the decisions,” Buffett said. “I’d rather Greg manage my money than any of the best investment advisors or CEOs in the United States .”

Buffett, who remains chairman of Berkshire Hathaway's board of directors, pointed out that Abel has a similar profile to his own in his personal life.

"If the neighbors didn't know who he was, they would have no idea that, on January 1st, he would be responsible for the decisions of a company that employs almost 400,000 people and plans to exist for the next 50 or 100 years," he stated.

This is not the first time Buffett has signaled support for Abel. In a recent statement to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), he said that the executive “exceeded my expectations in every respect.” “And I expect him to remain in the position for 20 years or more,” he added.

Even so, investors have doubts about whether Abel will be able to continue Buffett's work. Along with Charlie Munger (1924-2023), Buffett built his reputation with his investment philosophy, which led the company to record a compound annual return of almost 20% between 1964 and 2024.

Abel takes over Berkshire Hathaway with $358 billion in cash, a record figure in the more than 60 years that Buffett has been at the helm of the company, previously a relatively insignificant textile firm. For the last 12 consecutive quarters, Berkshire has sold more shares than it has bought.

In the first nine months of 2025, the asset manager sold $10 billion more in stocks than it acquired. Last year, Buffett made his last multi-billion dollar deal: the purchase of OxyChem , an operation completed this Friday, for $9.7 billion.

With so much cash on hand, the big question is how Abel will approach the market. The 16% rise in the S&P 500 index in 2025 has made many sectors seem expensive for a bargain-hunting investor like Berkshire.

At the last annual shareholders' meeting, in May of last year, Abel stated that the cash reserve is a "huge asset" that offers Berkshire protection in case of a recession.

"We will continue to be Berkshire," said Abel. "The way Warren and the team have allocated capital over the last 60 years will not change."

The message was reinforced by Buffett in an interview with CNBC , highlighting that he will still be present in the company, but with a more discreet posture, including at shareholder meetings , an event that attracted thousands of admirers to the small town of Omaha, Nebraska, to hear Buffett.

“Everything will remain the same,” he said. “I won’t be there giving a speech at the annual meeting, but I will be in the area reserved for directors.”