Overview

• Warren Buffett marks his final birthday as CEO, with Business Insider reporting he will retire from the role at the end of this year.
• Experts tell Business Insider that continuing to work sustained his sense of purpose and mental sharpness, which helps explain his unusually long tenure.
• Commentators say health considerations and a desire to pass leadership on influenced the timing, though they stress he faced no outside pressure to leave.
• The 2023 death of longtime partner Charlie Munger is cited as a moment that made Buffett’s eventual exit feel inevitable.
• Under Buffett, Berkshire grew into a roughly $1 trillion conglomerate with about 400,000 employees and a $300 billion stock portfolio, while he donated over $60 billion and co-founded the Giving Pledge.