Larry Page enters $300 billion club amid Alphabet stock surge
Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway began buying Alphabet last year and later raised the stake. The disclosure drove fresh attention to the Google parent as AI spending and founder wealth remained in focus.
- Jul 16, 2026,
- Updated Jul 16, 2026 4:18 PM IST
Alphabet shares jumped on July 15 after Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway had initiated an investment in the company last year. The stock rose by 3.9% to about $373 in the afternoon on July 15, after advancing nearly 2% on July 14. The move lifted Google co-founder Larry Page's estimated net worth by $8 billion to $301.7 billion. On the other hand, Sergey Brin's fortune rose by $7.3 billion to $278.2 billion.
Must read: Google's first Pixel 11 series teaser is out with a new Pixel Glow design
Buffett links himself to Alphabet investment
In an interview with CNBC, Buffett said he had initiated Berkshire Hathaway's first investment in Alphabet last year. He also said he had made a mistake by not investing in the company earlier. Buffett said Alphabet was facing intensifying competition in artificial intelligence.
Berkshire also revealed it bought more than 17.8 million Alphabet shares, a stake then valued at $4.3 billion. Earlier this year, the group added 36.4 million Class A shares and 3.6 million Class C shares, taking its total holding to about 58 million shares.
At current levels, that investment is worth about $21 billion. Last month, Alphabet also said Berkshire had agreed to buy $10 billion of newly issued stock to support the company's expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Must read: ‘We're entering a new age’: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on emergence of AGI
Wealth rankings and spending in focus
According to Forbes, Page and Brin are the world's second and third-richest people, behind Elon Musk. Buffett is ranked 10th with a fortune of $139.1 billion.
Alphabet shares have risen just under 18% so far this year, ahead of the Nasdaq's 12% gain. Like other large technology companies, Alphabet has raised spending to meet strong demand for artificial intelligence products.
The company recently reported annual revenue of more than $400 billion for the first time, helped by growth in Google Services and Google Cloud. Cloud revenue rose 48%. Alphabet has said spending could reach as much as $185 billion in fiscal 2026, after capital expenditure totalled $105 billion in the previous year.
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Alphabet shares jumped on July 15 after Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway had initiated an investment in the company last year. The stock rose by 3.9% to about $373 in the afternoon on July 15, after advancing nearly 2% on July 14. The move lifted Google co-founder Larry Page's estimated net worth by $8 billion to $301.7 billion. On the other hand, Sergey Brin's fortune rose by $7.3 billion to $278.2 billion.
Must read: Google's first Pixel 11 series teaser is out with a new Pixel Glow design
Buffett links himself to Alphabet investment
In an interview with CNBC, Buffett said he had initiated Berkshire Hathaway's first investment in Alphabet last year. He also said he had made a mistake by not investing in the company earlier. Buffett said Alphabet was facing intensifying competition in artificial intelligence.
Berkshire also revealed it bought more than 17.8 million Alphabet shares, a stake then valued at $4.3 billion. Earlier this year, the group added 36.4 million Class A shares and 3.6 million Class C shares, taking its total holding to about 58 million shares.
At current levels, that investment is worth about $21 billion. Last month, Alphabet also said Berkshire had agreed to buy $10 billion of newly issued stock to support the company's expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Must read: ‘We're entering a new age’: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on emergence of AGI
Wealth rankings and spending in focus
According to Forbes, Page and Brin are the world's second and third-richest people, behind Elon Musk. Buffett is ranked 10th with a fortune of $139.1 billion.
Alphabet shares have risen just under 18% so far this year, ahead of the Nasdaq's 12% gain. Like other large technology companies, Alphabet has raised spending to meet strong demand for artificial intelligence products.
The company recently reported annual revenue of more than $400 billion for the first time, helped by growth in Google Services and Google Cloud. Cloud revenue rose 48%. Alphabet has said spending could reach as much as $185 billion in fiscal 2026, after capital expenditure totalled $105 billion in the previous year.
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