Berkshire Vice Chair Greg Abel Builds $31 Billion Alphabet Stake; GOOGL Edges Lower

Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chair Greg Abel has quietly built a massive position in Alphabet (GOOGL), estimated by market analysts at roughly $31 billion. The news, reported by multiple financial outlets, has drawn attention to the investment moves of Warren Buffett's presumed successor. As of 12:30 PM ET on July 10, 2026, Alphabet (GOOGL) traded at $354.93, down 1.10% (-$3.96) from the prior close of $358.89. The stock opened at $357.2075, with a session high of $357.82 and a low of $352.75.

Berkshire Vice Chair's Massive Bet

Greg Abel, Berkshire Hathaway's Vice Chair overseeing non-insurance operations and widely seen as Warren Buffett's eventual successor, has accumulated an estimated $31 billion in Alphabet shares, according to market analysis. This makes Alphabet one of the most significant holdings in his portfolio. While Berkshire itself has not publicly disclosed the position, multiple media reports cite market data and insider sources.^{[Chronicle-Journal]}

Alphabet: Long-Term Returns and Fundamentals

Alphabet, the parent of Google Search, Google Cloud, and YouTube, has delivered strong long-term performance. A July 9 article from StockStory highlighted Alphabet's five-year total return of +188%, naming it one of "three market-beating stocks for long-term investors."^{[Chronicle-Journal]} The article noted that Alphabet's core advantage is its dominant Google Search business, described as "one of the best business models ever." It also pointed to expanding margins over time, driven by scale and operating efficiency across Search, Google Cloud, and YouTube. Revenue growth combined with margin expansion has fueled strong EPS growth, further amplified by aggressive share buybacks. The article noted that at the July 9 close of $361.81, Alphabet traded at roughly 29.4x forward earnings.

A Dissenting View: AI Fundamentals Detached from Prices?

Not all market participants share the same optimism. Michael Green, Chief Market Strategist and Portfolio Manager at Simplify Asset Management, offered a starkly different view in a July 8 CNBC interview. Green argued that AI fundamentals have become "detached" from stock prices. He specifically called it "totally absurd" for investors to apply a high multiple to Google's earnings, arguing those profits are partly inflated by the accounting treatment of its investment in AI startup Anthropic—specifically, "marking up" that holding to boost reported income.^[CNBC] Green also cited George Soros's concept of reflexivity at work in the market and warned that the popularity of leveraged investment vehicles could amplify volatility.

Long-Term Strategy and Diversification

On the broader investment strategy front, Motley Fool co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner shared his long-term philosophy in a July 8 video. Gardner offered three "outrageous" ideas: first, that ordinary individual investors should hold at least 50 stocks, noting that among roughly 40,000 publicly traded companies globally, about 4,000 (the top 10%) account for the vast majority of gains in any given 10-year rolling period. He cited Peter Lynch's record of holding over 500 stocks at Fidelity Magellan while delivering 29% annualized returns. Second, Gardner argued that investing is entering a new era where AI agents will conduct research around the clock, putting investors who don't use these systems at a disadvantage. Finally, he emphasized that Motley Fool's focus is not on short-term trading or market timing but on holding periods of 5, 10, or even 20 years, because the vast majority of stock market wealth is created by business owners—CEOs and founders with large equity stakes.^{[Motley Fool]} Gardner also recommended five long-term stocks in the video—Cisco (CSCO), MSCI (MSCI), Kingstone Companies (KINS), Marvell Technology (MRVL), and BillionToOne (BLLN)—but did not mention Alphabet.

Other Tech News: Apple and Broadcom Extend Partnership

In other major tech sector news, Apple (AAPL) and Broadcom (AVGO) announced an extension of their long-term partnership on July 8. Apple plans to invest over $30 billion to produce custom chips with Broadcom. According to Barron's, the news sent Broadcom shares up 4.83% on the day.^[Barron's] A separate Barron's article noted that the new agreement brings Broadcom's AI chips to the "edge." The partnership is part of Apple's broader commitment to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over four years. Separately, G Squared Private Wealth's Victoria Greene told CNBC she currently favors Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL) because they are "capex light."^[CNBC] Additionally, Cerity Partners Chief Market Strategist Jim Lebenthal doubled his position in Micron Technology (MU) during CNBC's "Halftime Report" on July 8.^[CNBC]

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