June 17 (Reuters) – A wealthy, and probably wealthy, person offered more than $ 19 million for dinner with Warren Buffett, the 21st and last time the billionaire businessman auctioned off a private lunch for the benefit of an organization San Francisco Charity.
The winning bid in the eBay auction that ended Friday night far surpassed the previous record of $ 4.57 million, paid in 2019 by cryptocurrency trader Justin Sun, although it did not go be able to immediately determine the identity of the new winner.
The benefits benefit Glide, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district that helps the poor, the homeless, or those struggling with substance abuse. Glide offers meals, shelter, HIV and hepatitis C testing, job training, and children’s programs.
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Buffett, 91, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKa.N), has raised more than $ 53.2 million for Glide in the 21 auctions, which began in 2000.
An eBay spokeswoman said the lunch was the most expensive item ever sold on the company’s website to benefit the charity.
No auction has been held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buffett became a supporter of Glide after his first wife Susan, who died in 2004, introduced him to the charity, where she had volunteered.
He has also pledged to give away almost all of his fortune. Buffett was worth $ 93.4 billion on Friday, ranking seventh in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
The winner of this year’s auction and up to seven guests will dine with Buffett at Manhattan’s Smith & Wollensky Brasserie.
Buffett will talk about almost anything, but not where to invest next.
Hedge fund managers David Einhorn and Ted Weschler are among the winners of the previous auction.
Weschler became Berkshire’s portfolio manager after paying a combined $ 5.25 million to win the 2010 and 2011 auctions.
Berkshire owns dozens of businesses, including the BNSF railroad, Geico car insurance, energy, manufacturing and retail companies, and stocks such as Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) and Bank of America Corp. BAC.N).
Buffett still owns nearly 16% of the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate, despite having donated more than half of its shares since 2006, including $ 4 billion on June 14. read more
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Jonathan Stempel report in New York, additional report by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bangalore; Edited by David Gregorio and Clarence Fernandez
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