Among the landmark occasions in the legendary history of Berkshire
Hathaway and its iconic co-leaders, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger,
was a 1996 symposium held in New York at Cardozo Law School. The focus
of the symposium was Warren's letters to Berkshire shareholders. The
format was a series of panels with two dozen different experts
dissecting all the ideas in the letters, about corporate governance,
takeovers, investing, and accounting. Intellectual sparks illuminated
the two-day affair, which drew unusual press interest for an academic
convocation.
While the principal tangible result of the conference was the
publication of the international best-seller, The Essays of Warren
Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, the transcript of the symposium
is now being made available with annotations and updated commentary that
show just how timeless the topics are and how venerable the principles
Buffett laid out remain. I had the honor of hosting the event, editing
The Essays, and now publishing this archival treasure, with current
assessments by such luminaries as Robert Hagstrom as well as several
participants from the original symposium.