Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’

Warren Buffett has spent nearly nine decades building an investing empire. But he mostly attributes his massive success to one thing: luck.

The Berkshire Hathaway chairman, whose net worth now sits at roughly $147 billion, told CNBC in an interview published Wednesday that chance, not just skill, has been a defining force behind his career.

“Out of eight billion people, I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world,” Buffett said.

Ahead of his 96th birthday next month, Buffett pointed to his health and longevity as examples of that good fortune. “I’m losing marbles at this point. I accumulated marbles for a longer time than I deserved.” he said. “That’s just a matter of luck.”

The “Oracle of Omaha” has frequently argued that structural advantages matter as much as talent.  In a 2024 letter to Berkshire shareholders, Buffett credited his success in part to being born in the U.S., as well as to the societal advantages of being a white male. 

“So favored by my male status, very early on I had confidence that I would become rich,” he wrote.

The investor has previously pointed to what he calls the “ovarian lottery”—a phrase he........

© Fortune