Warren Buffett warns coronavirus could disrupt Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting, and calls Bill Gates his 'science adviser'
- Coronavirus is likely to affect Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting in May, Warren Buffett warned in a CNBC interview on Monday.
- The 89-year-old Berkshire CEO joked that he and his 96-year-old partner, Charlie Munger, could be at risk as the deadly illness is "particularly tough on old people."
- "You're gonna have two guys on the stage whose combined age is 185," Buffett quipped.
- The billionaire investor revealed that he discusses coronavirus with Bill Gates, his "science adviser."
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Warren Buffett warned coronavirus is likely to affect Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting in May, and revealed that he discusses the potential pandemic with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, in a CNBC interview on Monday.
The yearly gathering in Omaha attracts a large Chinese contingent that "certainly will be affected" by the flu-like illness, the billionaire investor and Berkshire CEO said.
Coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 77,000 people, killed about 2,400, and spread to more than 25 countries.
The virus - which causes a disease known as COVID-19 - is "particularly tough on old people," Buffett said. Between 89-year-old Buffett and his 96-year-old partner, Charlie Munger, "You're gonna have two guys on the stage whose combined age is 185," he added.
"We won't be looking for people that are showing any signs of contagion," he joked.
Buffett asks a close friend and public-health expert about coronavirus, he revealed in the CNBC interview.
"My own science adviser is Bill Gates," he said, adding that the billionaire philanthropist is "bullish" on scientists eventually finding a solution for universal protection from the virus.
"We've got terrific resources in this country, but a pandemic is a pandemic," Buffett added.
