June 17 (Reuters) – A rich particular person has bid a document $19 million to eat lunch with Warren Buffett, within the twenty first and remaining time that the billionaire businessman auctioned a non-public lunch to learn a San Francisco charity.
The successful bid on the eBay public sale, which ended on Friday, far surpassed the earlier document of $4.57 million paid in 2019 by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Solar.
Proceeds profit Glide, a nonprofit in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district that helps the poor, homeless or these battling substance abuse. Glide affords meals, shelter, HIV and hepatitis C exams, job coaching and youngsters’s applications.
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This yr’s winner selected to stay nameless. An eBay spokeswoman mentioned the lunch was the most costly merchandise ever offered on the corporate’s web site to learn charity.
Buffett, 91, the chairman and chief government of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), raised about $53.2 million for Glide within the 21 auctions, which started in 2000.
“It has been nothing however good,” Buffett mentioned in a press release. “I’ve met a number of attention-grabbing folks from all around the world. The one common attribute is that they really feel the cash goes to be put to superb makes use of.”
No auctions have been held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buffett started supporting Glide after his first spouse, Susan, launched him to the charity, the place she had been volunteering.
Susan Buffett died in 2004.
Buffett has pledged to present away almost all of his fortune. Buffett was price $93.4 billion on Friday, rating seventh worldwide, in keeping with Forbes journal.
This yr’s public sale winner and as much as seven company will be a part of Buffett on the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan.
Buffett will speak about nearly something, however not the place he might make investments subsequent.
Berkshire owns dozens of firms together with the BNSF railroad, Geico automobile insurance coverage, power, manufacturing and retail companies, and shares corresponding to Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Financial institution of America Corp (BAC.N).
Buffett nonetheless owns almost 16% of the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate, regardless of having donated greater than half of his shares since 2006, together with $4 billion on June 14. learn extra
In response to Glide, these bidders have received its auctions:
2000: Pete Budlong, $25,000
2001: Jim Halperin and Scott Tilson, $20,000
2002: Jim Halperin and Scott Tilson, $25,000
2003: David Einhorn, Greenlight Capital, $250,100
2004: Jason Choo, Singapore, $202,100
2005: Nameless, $351,100
2006: Yongping Duan, California, $620,100
2007: Mohnish Pabrai, Man Spier, Harina Kapoor, $650,100
2008: Zhao Danyang, Pure Coronary heart Asset Administration, China,
$2,110,100
2009: Courtenay Wolfe, Salida Capital, Canada, $1,680,300
2010: Ted Weschler*, $2,626,311
2011: Ted Weschler*, $2,626,411
2012: Nameless, $3,456,789
2013: Nameless, $1,000,100
2014: Andy Chua, Singapore, $2,166,766
2015: Zhu Ye, Dalian Zeus Leisure Co, China,
$2,345,678
2016: Nameless, $3,456,789
2017: Nameless, $2,679,001
2018: Nameless, $3,300,100
2019: Justin Solar, $4,567,888
2020-2021: No auctions held
2022: Nameless, $19,000,100
* later grew to become a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio supervisor
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Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York
Modifying by Frances Kerry and David Gregorio
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