Warren Buffett's Charity Auction Bidding Surges Past $4 Million Level
A chance to dine with Warren Buffett is getting more expensive by the minute.
(Bloomberg) -- A chance to dine with Warren Buffett is getting more expensive by the minute, with bids exceeding $4 million.
The record-breaking offer for Buffett’s annual auction would benefit San Francisco-based charity Glide. Bidding had already set a record earlier in the week, then heated up further on Friday with multiple bids above $4 million. The auction ends tonight.
Over nearly two decades, Buffett’s auction has raised almost $30 million for Glide, whose services address issues including poverty and hunger. The winner gets to bring as many as seven friends to dine with Buffett, 88, at Smith & Wollensky in New York. The annual event has attracted victors including Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn and investor Ted Weschler, who later joined Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
The previous record of about $3.46 million was set in 2012 and matched in 2016.
| Year | Winner | Winning Bid |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Anonymous | $25,000 |
| 2001 | Anonymous | $18,000 |
| 2002 | Anonymous | $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, Pure Heart Asset Management | $2,110,100 |
| 2009 | 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. | $2,345,678 |
| 2016 | Anonymous | $3,456,789 |
| 2017 | Anonymous | $2,679,001 |
| 2018 | Anonymous | $3,300,100 |
To contact the reporter on this story: Katherine Chiglinsky in New York at kchiglinsky@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, Dan Reichl, Peter Eichenbaum
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.