Who Is Greg Abel? Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO After Buffett
Updated November 8, 2026 (ET).
Photo: Tankforwin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Greg Abel is running Berkshire Hathaway in the post-Warren Buffett era—and his third quarter as CEO showed a different appetite for putting the conglomerate’s cash to work.
Berkshire reported results on Saturday, November 7, 2026. According to Berkshire’s own news release, the company repurchased approximately $9.6 billion of its stock in the third quarter, bringing buybacks for the first nine months of 2026 to about $14.4 billion. Operating earnings were $12.705 billion, down from $13.485 billion a year earlier—about a 6% decline. Reuters reporting carried by the New York Post also said Berkshire bought back about $2 billion more in October, and described Abel as more willing than Buffett had been late in his tenure to deploy Berkshire’s cash pile.
CNBC likewise reported the $9.6 billion third-quarter repurchase as more than double the prior quarter’s buybacks, with weaker insurance underwriting and investment income weighing on operating profit even as railroad, energy, and manufacturing earnings grew.
Greg Abel: Quick facts
Full name: Gregory Edward Abel.
Born: June 1, 1962, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (age 64 as of November 8, 2026), according to CBC News.
Known for: President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; longtime energy executive who succeeded Warren Buffett.
Education: Bachelor of Commerce (accounting), University of Alberta, 1984.
Early career: Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers; joined CalEnergy in 1992.
Berkshire path: MidAmerican / Berkshire Hathaway Energy leadership; Berkshire vice chairman for non-insurance operations from January 2018; CEO since January 1, 2026.
Latest news: Third quarter as CEO featured roughly $9.6 billion in stock buybacks amid lower operating earnings.
How did Greg Abel rise at Berkshire Hathaway?
Abel’s path into Buffett’s orbit ran through the power business, not through Omaha’s insurance desk. CNBC’s 2021 profile says he grew up in Edmonton, graduated from the University of Alberta in 1984 with a commerce degree, and worked as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining geothermal electricity producer CalEnergy in 1992.
CalEnergy later acquired MidAmerican Energy and took its name; Berkshire took a controlling interest in MidAmerican in 1999, according to that CNBC account, when Abel was already the energy company’s president. He became CEO of MidAmerican in 2008, and the business was later renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
In January 2018, Buffett elevated Abel to Berkshire’s board as vice chairman for non-insurance operations, alongside Ajit Jain for insurance, CNBC reported at the time. A Berkshire Hathaway Energy Form 8-K from the same period records Abel resigning as that unit’s CEO and president as he moved into the parent-company role.
When did Greg Abel become Berkshire’s CEO?
Buffett publicly confirmed Abel as his eventual successor in May 2021. The handoff date became concrete in May 2025: Berkshire’s May 5, 2025 news release says the board unanimously appointed Abel president and CEO effective January 1, 2026, with Buffett remaining chairman. CNBC marked January 1, 2026, as Buffett’s last day as CEO.
The November 2026 quarter was Abel’s third as chief executive. Reuters’ account of the results framed the accelerated buybacks as a contrast with Buffett’s later years, when the conglomerate struggled to find large uses for its cash.
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What do Berkshire’s latest results say about Abel’s approach?
Berkshire’s release urges investors to focus on operating earnings rather than GAAP net income, which swings with unrealized gains and losses on equity holdings. On that operating measure, third-quarter 2026 results were lower: insurance underwriting fell to $1.352 billion from $2.369 billion a year earlier, while BNSF, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and manufacturing, service and retailing rose.
The buyback figure is the sharper break with recent history. Berkshire’s release puts third-quarter treasury purchases at about $9.6 billion and year-to-date buybacks at about $14.4 billion. CNBC noted that pace was more than double the second quarter. The additional October repurchase of about $2 billion appears in Reuters/New York Post reporting of the company’s disclosure; it is not broken out in the short earnings news release itself.
None of that settles how Abel will ultimately deploy Berkshire’s remaining cash, or how closely he will follow Buffett’s capital-allocation style. It does show that, early in his tenure, share repurchases have been a primary outlet.
Frequently asked questions about Greg Abel
Is Greg Abel still Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO?
Yes. Berkshire’s board appointed him president and CEO effective January 1, 2026, and November’s results were reported under his leadership.
Did Greg Abel replace Warren Buffett completely?
No. Abel succeeded Buffett as CEO. Berkshire’s May 2025 release said Buffett would remain chairman. Reuters reported in November 2026 that his son Howard Buffett became chairman in September, with Warren Buffett as chairman emeritus.
Where is Greg Abel from?
He was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and studied at the University of Alberta, according to CNBC’s biographical reporting.
Did Berkshire buy back $9.6 billion of stock in one quarter?
Yes. Berkshire’s November 7, 2026 news release says it acquired approximately $9.6 billion in treasury shares during the third quarter of 2026.
Further reading
Berkshire Hathaway: Third-quarter 2026 earnings news release (PDF)
New York Post / Reuters: Berkshire speeds up buybacks under Abel
CNBC: Berkshire more than doubles buybacks as earnings decline
Berkshire Hathaway: Abel appointed CEO effective January 1, 2026 (PDF)
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