Subject: Re: Google
"Can anyone tell me why Google is a great Buffett buy at $290 when 'search' is almost destroyed as a business model, and business costs are accelerating?

One potential reason for Buffett being "late" on his GOOGL investment...

Buffett has always been one to avoid even the slightest appearances of conflict of interest.

Ron Olson was on Berkshire's board until his "retirement" from that position at the May 2025 meeting.

Ron Olson had been a director of Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent) since its inception as Google in 2004 (and remained on the board until his retirement in 2024).

Ron Olson also served as a longtime outside attorney for Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google (now Alphabet Inc.).

He and his law firm, Munger, Tolles & Olson, have represented Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Google/Alphabet in numerous high-profile matters for over two decades, including:

1) The company’s 2004 IPO

2) The creation and defense of the dual-class share structure that preserved founder control

3) Various antitrust, privacy, and shareholder litigation

4) Personal legal matters for Page and Brin

Buffett had occasionally joked at Berkshire meetings that “Ron Olson works for me on Saturdays and for Google the rest of the week,” highlighting Olson’s dual roles with Berkshire Hathaway and the Google founders.

Maybe Mr. Buffett felt he had to wait until Olson stepped down from the board to avoid any appearances of impropriety?