An anonymous bidder has agreed to pay a record US$4,567,888 at an annual charity auction to have a private lunch with Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Proceeds benefit the Glide Foundation, a charity in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district that serves the poor, homeless or those battling substance abuse. The winning bidder and up to seven friends can dine at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan with Buffett, who says he will discuss anything apart from his next investments.The top bid would also be enough to buy 15 Class A or 23,137 Class B shares of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire, whose more than 90 businesses include auto insurer Geico and BNSF railroad.