In his new co-edited book, The Warren Buffett Shareholder: Stories from Inside the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, Lawrence A. Cunningham, Henry St. George Tucker III Research Professor of Law, writes about what makes Buffett's shareholders "tick" and what happens at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. The book, which he co-edited along with Stephanie Cuba, asks the following: Why do 40,000 shareholders regularly go to Omaha, Nebraska, for the Annual Meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the company Warren Buffett built? He, along with Ms. Cuba, asked 43 famous recurring visitors to ponder this question and compiled their responsive essays into a book.
In a recent interview in Brunswick Review, Professor Cunningham, who has written extensively on Berkshire Hathaway, is described as "Warren Buffett's writer and editor of choice." In that interview, focused on one of Cunningham's previous books about Berkshire's corporate culture, Professor Cunningham explained how the investor has acquired hundreds of subsidiaries–and never sells them. A teaser from the interview is featured below. Kevin Helliker, an editor at Brunswick, asked him the following question: Is there a standard way that one of these acquisitions comes about? Is it Warren Buffett approaching a company or vice versa?
"In my book, I list at least 14 where the seller family wrote or called him directly. And he'll answer the phone. He'll open your mail and respond. There's another cluster where some intermediary who knew the selling family and who knew Warren made an introduction. And there's a third category where friends or relatives made the introduction.
There's another category that I call stranger. Someone just sends him a fax. Or in the case of FlightSafety International, a Berkshire shareholder who was also a shareholder of FlightSafety wrote a letter to Warren's outside attorney. And his lawyer passed it along. For the most part, he just sits back and waits for the phone to ring."
To read the entire interview, visit this page, and for more on the new book, a description and reviews can be viewed below.
From the Publisher
In this engaging collection of stories, 43 veterans of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting explain why throngs attend year after year. Beyond the famous Q&A with Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, these experts reveal the Berkshire Meeting as a community gathering of fun, fellowship and learning.
The contributors whisk readers through the exciting schedule of surrounding events--book signings, panel discussions and social gatherings--and share the pulse of this distinctive corporate culture. Spanning decades, the book offers glimpses of the past and ideas of what lies ahead. To learn about what makes Buffett's shareholders tick and all the happenings at the Berkshire Meeting, and to reminisce about past Meetings, make this delightful book your companion.
Reviews
Larry Cunningham and Stephanie Cuba have composed The Playbill to the greatest Business Show on Broadway—make that Omaha—namely, the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings. Don't even think of attending without it. - Roger Lowenstein, Author, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
An amazing collaboration. We know of no other company whose shareholders have teamed up to write a book about the experience. - Mario J. Gabelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GAMCO Investors, Inc.
A wonderful, readable book — and great fun — all about the greatest annual meeting in the world. - Andrew Kilpatrick, Author, Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett
Oh to be in Omaha come the first weekend of May! This smart and engaging book gives you 43 expert opinions as to why you simply need to get there. - Carol Loomis, retired Senior Editor-at-Large, Fortune Magazine