More than a decade before Berkshire Hathaway investors finally got an answer to their most pressing question — who would succeed Warren Buffett — insiders at the company were already cultivating Greg Abel.
David Sokol, then the chief executive of Berkshire’s sprawling energy business, told Buffett in 2007 that he wanted to give his own job to Abel, arguing it was time for his “right-hand lieutenant” to take the lead.
Abel had worked side-by-side with Sokol, negotiating some of its most complex deals, including a purchase of natural gas lines following Enron’s collapse that was done in the course of a weekend. Buffett, at first, demurred, but was eventually convinced.