Warren Buffett has led Berkshire Hathaway since 1970 — the longest tenure of any chief executive in our CEO$ database.
Source: StockTools CEO$computed from our dataVerified 2026-07-10
Not every CEO is overpaid: the lowest reported package in our CEO$ database is Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, at just $405,111 in fiscal 2024.
Warren Buffett bought his first stock at age 11 — three shares of Cities Service preferred — and later called it a lesson in patience after he sold too early and watched it soar.
Warren Buffett still lives in the Omaha house he bought in 1958 for $31,500 — the same frugality behind his $100,000 CEO salary, unchanged for decades, which keeps nearly all of his wealth inside Berkshire stock rather than paid out to him.