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> Also, does anyone have color on went wrong with Tesco? One of Buffett's claimed keys to success is being able to evaluate management talent^. Since he can't
by derf_ 12y ago
> Also, does anyone have color on went wrong with Tesco?
One of Buffett's claimed keys to success is being able to evaluate management talent^. Since he can't manage all of these business himself, it's important for him to have talented managers running each show. He has specifically built Berkshire to be attractive to this kind of person. E.g., when he makes an acquisition, the old management is left in place and continues to run the business, making it a great way for someone who has built a business from scratch to cash out and yet be sure their baby won't be dismantled, unlike a normal M&A that tends to fire all of upper management and gut half the staff.
So when he says he's lost faith in management, that is quite a serious condemnation. My guess (with no data backing it up) is when Tesco ran into trouble, they tried to feed him a load of crap about it, and he knew it.
^If you have not heard the story of Mrs. Blumkin of Nebraska Furniture Mart, it is well worth it: http://www.focusinvestor.com/Blumkin.pdf http://www.focusinvestor.com/Blumkin.pdf
- tptacek 12y agoSure. What's the last position BH exited with an observation about losing faith in the management team? I've been reading these letters for years and the Tesco thing sticks out to me.
- derf_ 12y agoWell, he's often said the only reasons he will sell is if a business's competitive advantage disappears, he's lost faith in management, or he needs the cash. Johnson & Johnson would be one recent (2012) example where I think neither the first nor the third conditions applied (though he only said they'd "obviously messed up in a lot of ways in the last few years" in an interview, and didn't discuss it in the shareholder's letter at all).
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]