Warren Buffett is spending his evenings on YouTube after stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway last month, according to Fortune. The report says the 96-year-old watches clips featuring Glenn Close, a documentary about attorney Roy Cohn, commercials from the 1950s and Uzbekistan's version of 'America's Got Talent.'
Sharon Osberg, one of Buffett's closest friends who often visits and watches with him, told the Wall Street Journal that 'Warren’s range is broad.' She added: 'It can be the silliest things.'
Fortune reports that Buffett handed the CEO reins to Greg Abel in January and the chairmanship to his son Howard in September. It also says he was still running Berkshire Hathaway, an over $1 trillion conglomerate, while keeping his evenings largely his own.
The piece notes that Buffett has long been known for his reluctance to embrace technology. Even as a longtime Apple investor, he waited until his late eighties to switch from a flip phone to an iPhone.
Reading has long been one of his favorite pastimes. Buffett once said he spent as much as 80% of his working day reading. He also said: 'Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.'
When he wanted to step away from business completely, Buffett often played bridge, including with his former longtime friend Bill Gates. He said in a 2017 Washington Post interview: 'I play a lot.' He added: 'At least four sessions a week, about two hours a session.' He also said: 'You can play a hand every six or seven minutes every day for the rest of your life, and you will never see the same hand.'
Fortune also cites a 2025 Randstad report saying Gen Z workers ranked work-life balance higher than salary when evaluating current or future jobs. Buffett, who became a millionaire at 32, has told students to look for a job they would take if they did not need a job.
The market has already voted on Buffett's legacy. The man who built one of the great fortunes of the modern era is now spending his nights like a man who knows capital is only part of a life well lived. For markets and for workers, the larger lesson is plain: productivity matters, but so does balance, and the best operators understand when to let the numbers stop talking.
Capital rewards clear rules, but it does not require a life stripped of everything else. Buffett's routine is a reminder that the free enterprise system should create wealth without demanding permanent self-immolation in return.
