June 18 (Reuters) – A wealthy person has bid a record $19 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett. This was the 21st and last time the billionaire businessman auctioned off a private luncheon for a charity in San Francisco.
The highest bid at the eBay auction, which ended Friday, far surpassed the previous record $4.57 million paid by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun in 2019.
Proceeds benefit Glide, a non-profit organization in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood that helps the poor, homeless or those fighting substance abuse. Glide provides meals, housing, HIV and hepatitis C testing, job training and children’s programs.
This year’s winner chose to remain anonymous. An eBay spokeswoman said the lunch was the most expensive item ever sold on the company’s website for charity.
Buffett, 91, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N), raised about $53.2 million for Glide in the 21 auctions that began in 2000.
“It was nothing but good,” Buffett said in a statement. “I’ve met a lot of interesting people from all over the world. The only thing they have in common is that they feel the money is being used very well.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no auctions took place in 2020 and 2021.
Buffett began supporting Glide after his first wife, Susan, introduced him to the charity she volunteered with.
Susan Buffett died in 2004.
Buffett has promised to give away nearly his entire fortune. Buffett was worth $93.4 billion as of Friday, according to Forbes magazine, ranking seventh in the world.
This year’s auction winner and up to seven guests will join Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse in Manhattan.
Buffett will talk about almost anything, but not where he might invest next.
Berkshire owns dozens of companies including BNSF railroad, Geico auto insurance, energy, manufacturing and retail companies, as well as stocks like Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N).
Buffett still owns nearly 16% of the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate, though he’s donated more than half of his shares since 2006, including $4 billion as of June 14. read more
According to Glide, these bidders won their 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: Anonymous, $351,100
2006: Yongping Duan, California, $620,100
2007: Mohnish Pabrai, Guy Spier, Harina Kapoor, $650,100
2008: Zhao Danyang, Wealth Management Pure Heart, 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: Anonymous, $3,456,789
2013: Anonymous, $1,000,100
2014: Andy Chua, Singapore, $2,166,766
2015: Zhu Ye, Dalian Zeus Entertainment Co., China,
$2,345,678
2016: Anonymous, $3,456,789
2017: Anonymous, $2,679,001
2018: Anonymous, $3,300,100
2019: Justin Sun, $4,567,888
2020-2021: No auctions held
2022: Anonymous, $19,000,100
* later became a portfolio manager at Berkshire Hathaway
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Additional reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio, Clarence Fernandez and Frances Kerry
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