The wife of legendary investor Warren Buffett was overheard at Allen & Co’s annual “summer camp for billionaires” complaining to a resort staffer about having to pay $4 for a cup of coffee.
Astrid Buffett — whose husband, the 92-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is worth more than $115 billion, according to Forbes’ — was heard grumbling that she “could get a pound of coffee” for the same price at more reasonable venues.
Despite his riches, Warren Buffett also has earned a reputation for thriftiness, living in the same house in Omaha, Neb. that he purchased for $31,500 in 1958.
He also reportedly clips coupons, buys hail-damaged cars at a discount and buys his breakfast at McDonald’s.
The Post, meanwhile, can confirm that $4 is the cheapest caffeine fix available at Konditorei, the popular Austrian-themed pastry shop and coffeehouse located on-site at the swank Sun Valley resort in Idaho.
A cup of cold brew starts at $5.50, while the fancier specialty drinks on offer, such as the “Fire Trail,” which features two shots of espresso with dark chocolate, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and steamed milk, costs up to $6.
Astrid also was heard saying that the “Oracle of Omaha,” who turns 93 in August, has recently struggled with poor balance.
Accordingly, her husband, an early riser, has used a golf cart to traverse the spacious grounds at Sun Valley during each of the conference’s first two days this year while decked out in a red fleece emblazoned with Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley 2023 logo.
Astrid, whose maiden name is Menks, has regularly accompanied him to the conference.
Warren Buffett and Astrid Menks married in 2006, when he was 76 and she was 60.
The pair began dating decades earlier, while Buffett was still married to his first wife, Susan Thompson.
Thompson, who died in 2004, was aware of the relationship and gave her blessing.
Elsewhere in Sun Valley, attendees were still buzzing on Thursday about Disney’s surprise announcement that Bob Iger had signed a two-year deal to remain as the embattled company’s CEO through 2026.
Iger and his fellow media titans faced a fresh headache as the key actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and its 160,000 members prepared to vote on a potential strike as talks broke down with major TV and film companies.
The actors would join Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike for weeks, in a virtual shutdown of the industry.
“I’m running late for a meeting,” Bakish said as he scampered off.
Paramount CEO Bob Bakish, one of the executives on the front lines of the dispute, passed by a small group of media members, but declined to comment when a reporter asked to chat about the potential labor disruption.
Bakish’s boss, Paramount Chairman Shari Redstone, also declined to comment on Hollywood turmoil and was coy when The Post asked about her plans for the rest of the day.
“Meeting great people and having great conversation,” Redstone said.
Iger, 72, had earlier told CNBC during a wide-ranging that he felt the actors and screenwriters weren’t being “realistic” with their demands, given the troubled state of the entertainment industry.
“We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said.
“There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic,” Iger added. “And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
During the wide-ranging interview, Iger hinted that Disney-owned ABC and other linear TV assets could be available for sale.
He also addressed his ongoing feud with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, stating that the company doesn’t want to be “drawn into any culture wars.”
Also spotted making the rounds during the conference’s second day was Bill McDermitt, the boss of software firm ServiceNow, who flashed a big thumbs-up as he strolled the resort.
Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp, a close ally of billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel, also said a quick hello to gathered media members.
Credit: Source link
