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I'm not saying he's wrong, but he's notoriously bad at investing in technology. He just does not get it, for the most part. He would probably have never invest

I'm not saying he's wrong, but he's notoriously bad at investing in technology. He just does not get it, for the most part. He would probably have never invested in Netflix, or Facebook, or Google. Yet any investor who did made a killing. Now, I'm pretty sure everyone is aware at some point the music has to stop (at least I hope they do). A major correction will happen at some point. But no one knows when. It could be tomorrow, or it could be 3 years from now.

csomar 9y ago
More importantly, tech investors have definitively netted lots of profit even if the music stops. For example, if you are making x50-100 gains on tech investments, you are not rolling the dice full again but netting out some of that profit. Which is still a plenty and more profitable than traditional investment channels. Sure it can't work for everyone and the market is very heated right now but we should not incorrectly assume that the tech industry didn't create enormous amounts of wealth.
tc313 9y ago
> He would probably have never invested in Netflix, or Facebook, or Google. Yet any investor who did made a killing. Buffett's strategy is to avoid losses -- not to worry about missing out on possible gains. He believes you avoid losses by investing in companies with a long, successful track record of doing the same thing for many years and that are likely to continue doing that same thing for many years into the future. So, it's not that Buffett doesn't "get" technology, he just can't make intelligent guesses about what tech companies will be earning 10 years from now. He sticks to his circle of competence and it works.
- charlesdm 9y ago
  Which is fine. He's a great investor on his own terms. But the complete counterexample to Buffet is George Soros -- a different way of thinking and operating. Both lines of thinking clearly work for some people.. your investment style is tied pretty closely to your personality. There is no perfect solution, and everyone has to find their own way. I would never put money in a railroad or an oil company, because I can't properly assess what drives the stock price and which unexpected issues might pop up. I can more easily do that with tech.

csomar 9y ago

More importantly, tech investors have definitively netted lots of profit even if the music stops. For example, if you are making x50-100 gains on tech investments, you are not rolling the dice full again but netting out some of that profit. Which is still a plenty and more profitable than traditional investment channels. Sure it can't work for everyone and the market is very heated right now but we should not incorrectly assume that the tech industry didn't create enormous amounts of wealth.

tc313 9y ago

> He would probably have never invested in Netflix, or Facebook, or Google. Yet any investor who did made a killing. Buffett's strategy is to avoid losses -- not to worry about missing out on possible gains. He believes you avoid losses by investing in companies with a long, successful track record of doing the same thing for many years and that are likely to continue doing that same thing for many years into the future. So, it's not that Buffett doesn't "get" technology, he just can't make intelligent guesses about what tech companies will be earning 10 years from now. He sticks to his circle of competence and it works.

charlesdm 9y ago
Which is fine. He's a great investor on his own terms. But the complete counterexample to Buffet is George Soros -- a different way of thinking and operating. Both lines of thinking clearly work for some people.. your investment style is tied pretty closely to your personality. There is no perfect solution, and everyone has to find their own way. I would never put money in a railroad or an oil company, because I can't properly assess what drives the stock price and which unexpected issues might pop up. I can more easily do that with tech.