After some frantic last minute bidding a lunch with Warren Buffett finally sold for $100 over $19,000,000 in an eBay auction.
The lucky bidder, who has chosen to remain anonymous, will now, along with seven friends, have lunch with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steak house restaurant in New York City.
The $19m will be donated to the GLIDE charity in San Franciso, a charity inititiative backed by Buffett's first wife Susie.
Buffett has described the charity as “maybe the most effective organization I’ve seen for people down on their luck. It takes people who have hit bottom and brings them back. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Since 2000 Buffett has now raised over $53m for GLIDE by auctioning the annual lunch and opportunity to meet with him.
As we have reported before Warren's meal of choice at Smith & Wollensky is a medium rare sirloin with a side of hash browns and a cherry coke.
At 91 years of age this is the last luncheon auction Buffett will do.
As the auction closed he commented: “It’s been nothing but good, I’ve met a lot of interesting people from all over the world. The one universal characteristic is that they feel the money is going to be put to very good uses.”
The full list of the Warren Buffett 'Power of One' annual charity lunch auction winners since 2020 are:
2000 $25,000 Anonymous
2001 $18,000 Anonymous
2002 $25,000 Anonymous
2003 $250,100 David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital
2004 $202,100 Jason Choo
2005 $351,100 An eBay bidder with the monikor hanka3153
2006 $620,100 Yongping Duan
2007 $650,100 Mohnish Pabrai, Guy Spier, Harina Kapoor
2008 $2,110,100 Zhai Danyang Pure Heart Asset Management
2009 $1,680,300 Salida Capital
2010 $2,626,311 Ted Weschler
2011 $2,626,411 Ted Weschler
2012 $3,456,789 Anonymous
2013 $1,000,100 Anonymous
2014 $2,166,766 Andy Chua
2015 $2,345,678 Zhu Ye, Dalian Zeus Entertainment Co
2016 $3,456,789 Anonymous
2017 $2,679,001 Anonymous
2018 $3,300,100 Anonymous
2019 $4,567,888 Justin Sun
2020 Cancelled due to Covid-19
2021 Cancelled due to Covid-19
2020 Anonymous $19,000,100
Quotes from the winners include:
Jason Choo: "We didn't talk much about investing, so we really had a great time."
Yongping Duan: “I’ve learned so much from Warren Buffett and his investment philosophy. I want a chance to say thank you."
Andy Chua spokesman: "The lunch meeting with Buffett is to thank him personally for his guidance all these years."
Ted Weschler: “It was very natural and conversational. We’ve got similar backgrounds, both liked business as kids, had done all sorts of active investing in companies."
Justin Sun: “Great things take time. Thank you Warren Buffett for your dinner, wisdom and vision,”
Mohnish Pabrai: “I think we would have been willing to pay a lot more than that, Well worth it.”