An anonymous bidder offered to pay more than $3.3 million for the chance to
dine with Warren Buffett, the billionaire chief executive of Berkshire
Hathaway.
The winning bid in the annual “Power Lunch With Warren Buffett” charity
auction came in at $3,300,100 on Friday night. The amount exceeds the
$2,679,001 paid last year but fell short of the record $3,456,789 hit in 2016.
Now in its 19th year, the event has raised more than $25 million for Glide,
a San Francisco charity. The nonprofit organization provides a variety of
services, including food, shelter and child care, for people who are poor,
homeless or battling substance abuse.
This
year’s auction, run through eBay, closed on Friday night. The winner, along
with up to seven friends, will share a lunch with Mr. Buffett at Smith &
Wollensky, a steakhouse in Manhattan.
The
lunch, in one instance, has led to a job offer. Ted Weschler, a former hedge
fund manager, won the auction in 2010 and 2011, spending a combined $5,252,722.
At the second meeting, Mr. Buffett offered Mr. Weschler a job. Today, he
is one of Berkshire Hathaway’s two investment managers.
