• Consulting firm Accenture and AI darling Anthropic have announced an expansion of their partnership.
• Accenture says it will use Anthropic's Claude to serve both staff and clients.
• Accenture announced a similar deal with OpenAI just over a week ago.

Accenture has announced an expansion of its partnership with Anthropic, its second deal with a leading AI developer in the past eight days.

The deal includes a suite of new solutions and offerings that will help Accenture's clients "accelerate the shift from experimenting with AI to using it as a catalyst for reinvention across the enterprise," said Julie Sweet, Accenture's CEO.

The two companies said they would form the "Accenture Anthropic Business Group," which will train around 30,000 employees in delivering Claude-powered solutions.

Tens of thousands of developers at Accenture will also receive access to Claude Code as part of the deal, and Accenture and Anthropic will launch an offering for chief information officers to measure the value of AI solutions and scale them.

"AI is changing how almost everyone works, and enterprises need both cutting-edge AI and trusted expertise to deploy it at scale," said Dario Amodei, CEO and cofounder of Anthropic.

He added that the rollout of Claude Code to Accenture employees was the company's largest ever deployment.

Accenture announced a similar deal with OpenAI earlier this month, saying it would provide tens of thousands of its employees with ChatGPT Enterprise to use across consulting, operations, and delivery work.

Accenture and OpenAI also announced plans to launch a "flagship AI client program," which the firms said will help clients adopt OpenAI products across their workflows.

"Accenture invests in strategic partnerships with the best across the ecosystem, co-developing solutions and going to market together," Lan Guan, chief AI & Data officer at Accenture, told Business Insider.

"The addition of Anthropic as a strategic partner is about expanding client choice, meeting client demand, and accelerating innovation," Guan said.

The professional services industry stands out as one of the industries most exposed to AI-driven transformation. Top firms are racing to prove they can deploy AI effectively in-house and guide clients to do the same.

For AI developers, global consulting firms offer access to the back-end systems of some of the world's most valuable companies.

The Big Four firm Deloitte, for example, has a partnership with Anthropic, providing its global workforce of 470,000 with Claude-powered solutions. Deloitte is also developing AI agents in partnership with Nvidia. It counts Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Starbucks, and the US federal government among its clients.

The top consulting firms have a similar suite of partnerships with companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Anthropic.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Dylan Field had no management experience before cofounding Figma. He had to learn a "whole new skillset," he said.
• "Management and leadership are different," he said on "First Time Founders." Field said he came in as a leader, not a manager.
• CEOs of Duolingo and Asana have also struggled in the transition from founder to manager.

Some people are natural managers. Others need a bit more time to figure it out.

Before Dylan Field cofounded Figma, he interned at companies like Flipboard and LinkedIn. He'd never been a manager. Now, his company has over 1,600 employees.

On the "First Time Founders" podcast, Field said that he wasn't a great manager initially — and that he had to learn the hard way.

"Management and leadership are different," Field said. "You can be a good leader and a bad manager or vice versa."

Field said that he'd always been a leader, so he came into Figma thinking he was "good to go." He said he learned that there was a "whole new skillset around management" that he "definitely didn't know."

Field listed the skill set: Knowing where your team is, building relationships, holding one-on-one meetings, holding people accountable for their goals, and setting a consistent cadence.

Host Ed Elson asked: Was Field really bad at all of those management principles?

"Oh, for sure," Field said. "I think I was bad at all of it."

It didn't help that Figma had pressure from venture capitalists to get a product to market, he said. Figma was founded in 2012, but didn't start shipping a beta product to customers until 2015. General availability took another year, and it wasn't till 2017 that a paid plan was available.

"Don't do what we did," Field said. "Please don't take away that you should take five years to launch a company. You'll be dead."

What helped, he said, was hiring his first manager, Sho Kuwamoto, who started as Figma's director of engineering. "I learned a ton from him," Field said.

Field is one of many founders-turned-CEOs who have had to learn how to manage a team.

Dustin Moskovitz cofounded two large, publicly traded companies: Facebook and Asana. He led the latter as CEO for over a decade. In October, he described being a manager as "quite exhausting," stating that he'd intended to be "more of an independent or Head of Engineering."

In May, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said that all founders should be micromanagers until they had 30 employees — but that he took it too far, micromanaging until he had 50.

"At this point, I also have learned that most of my job is culture carrier, mascot, and just making some of the kind of tough philosophical decisions," von Ahn said.

On the podcast, Field struck an optimistic tone about the ability of great founders to become great managers.

"The good news is if you're a first-time manager, it's all very learnable," he said. "It'll feel like muscle memory eventually."

• I spent nine months traveling the world, and although I had a great time, I wouldn't do it again.
• Because I was on a tight budget, I often found myself turning down cool experiences to save money.
• I also struggled to make genuine friendships and missed having a space to call my own.

When I was working remotely in 2021, my boyfriend and I packed up and traveled to 22 countries across Europe and Latin America.

Although these were some of the best days of my life, I quickly learned that a lot of the videos I saw on social media that glorified full-time travel didn't always showcase the downfalls of the lifestyle.

More and more people are becoming digital nomads — countries like Italy have even implemented specific visas for remote workers. However, during my nine months abroad, I learned that the lifestyle isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Here's why I wouldn't travel full time again.

I kept looking for places and experiences that felt like home

While traveling full time, I found myself constantly looking for places and experiences that felt like home.

In some ways, it was cool to feel like a local in a new city. However, when I returned home and took shorter vacations, I started to value the places I was visiting for their differences rather than trying to find some semblance of home.

Nowadays, I like having a home base. Shorter trips help me to break up the monotony of life without sacrificing the comfort of home.

It felt like I was constantly thinking about money

When I was traveling full-time, I was on a strict budget. I either drained my wallet or ate cheap food to maintain some sort of financial security while on the road.

I talked myself out of going to every museum I wanted to and purchased cheap meals for dinner instead of indulging in local cuisine that might have been out of my budget.

The moments I would slip up on my spending were when I forgot this wasn't a never-ending vacation, but rather, my new everyday life.

During the first two weeks of our trip, I wanted to go to all of the must-try restaurants in Paris. However, I soon realized that came at the cost of establishing a strict daily budget for the remainder of our three weeks there.

Of course, it was worth it in the end to save money so I could travel for nine months. However, now that I take a few shorter trips a year, I have more flexibility to make them everything I want them to be.

My friendships at home changed, and the new ones I made were fleeting

I think what travelers yearn for the most is community. When I was traveling, it was really hard to find the same quality of friends I have at home.

When I did meet friends abroad, it was often short-lived. I found that many people traveling full time were only in a city for a few days. Even when I did find someone I connected with, it was hard to maintain a long-distance friendship.

Traveling full time also took a lot out of my friendships at home, as it seemed like they learned to live without me.

When I returned home, it felt like we didn't have as much in common as we used to. It took me months to get my friendships back to where they were before I left.

I missed having a space to call my own

While traveling, I stayed in 25 different places across nine months. Although seeing so many new places was cool, I missed having a space to call my own.

After spending so many nights in beds that weren't my own, it was an indescribable feeling to come back home. In fact, when I got back, I was able to create a space that took inspiration from the places I'd been.

I think traveling is something everyone should prioritize, but there are ways to see the world that don't involve doing it full time.

Nowadays, I plan to take at least four international trips a year, ranging from one to two weeks. This allows me to live a travel-filled life without giving up the comforts of home, career, and relationships.

This story was originally published on April 26, 2024, and most recently updated on December 9, 2025.

• Walmart's outgoing CEO, Doug McMillon, discussed the plan for his next steps.
• After more than 10 years running Walmart, he said he's looking forward to taking a break.
• McMillon is part of a wave of retail CEO departures this year.

Walmart's departing CEO is preparing for a quieter 2026, and he sounds pretty thrilled about it.

Doug McMillon, 59, has spent the last 40 years at Walmart. For more than 10 years, he's been at the helm of the company, leading its more than 2 million employees.

In an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box on Tuesday, McMillon, who will step down as CEO early next year, said he isn't sure what's next for him but that he imagines it will involve some combination of business and philanthropy.

And in the short term, he'll be taking a break.

"I've never had a blank calendar, and I have now seen what one looks like in a few months — and it's kind of exciting," he said.

McMillon's resignation last month comes as a wave of retail CEOs have left — or have been pushed out — of their companies in the last year.

According to data from the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, retailers have reported 43 CEO exits year-to-date through October, a 34% increase from the same period last year.

These departures have included big names such Kroger's former CEO, Rodney McMullen, and Kohl's former CEO, Ashley Buchanan. Target's CEO, Brian Cornell, also announced that he'll be retiring next year.

This pattern has been playing out in the retail sector since the pandemic. The job of retail CEOs has become increasingly challenging as they navigate the disruption of AI, changing consumer behavior, and increasing labor costs.

McMillon said his departure was not driven by a lack of confidence in the company's future. During his tenure, Walmart's stock price has climbed 300% and he expects it to continue on that trajectory.

"I don't know if I am young or I am old," he said, when asked why he's departing before he's turned 60. "When you see somebody who is ready to run the next lap better and faster than you, it is time to hand the baton and get out of the way and just cheerlead."

John Furner, who will take over the helm in February, has worked his way up the ranks at Walmart since 1993 and met his wife while working there.

Ultramarine blue, or "true blue," was once more valuable than gold. In 1824, a synthetic version called French ultramarine made the color more accessible. But ultramarine blue made from real lapis lazuli can sell for over $60 an ounce today.

Lapis lazuli is a bright blue semiprecious stone mined primarily in Afghanistan. When Business Insider visited the world's largest lapis lazuli mine there, its future was up in the air. So, how is the world's most expensive color made, and why are people paying for it?

• Maunsel House, the ancestral home of a British aristocratic family, is on the market.
• The current version of the home is thought to date back to the late 14th century.
• Local legend says Chaucer wrote "The Canterbury Tales" here.

Are you interested in becoming the "Wardwick of the North Moor"? What about walking the same halls as Geoffrey Chaucer, Alfred the Great, King John, and Queen Matilda?

If so, do we have the property for you.

Maunsel House, an estate in Somerset, a county around 130 miles west of London, has been listed by Strutt and Parker with an asking price of £3.5 million, or around $4.68 million.

The 13-bedroom home also has multiple "unique" bathrooms, a bar (the oldest part of the house), a library, a ballroom, and a dining room. In its history, it has been used as a wedding venue, vacation spot, and filming location.

Maunsel House has been the seat of the Slade family since the 1770s, but its current owner, Benjamin Slade, is ready to part ways with it — for the right price, of course.

"This is the first time the home has been on the open market in several centuries, marking a significant moment in its long history," listing agent Oliver Custance Baker told Business Insider. He continued, "This is a rare opportunity to own a true piece of British history."

Slade has tried selling or even giving away Maunsel House in the past, as he has no children of his own and has said it's not easy to keep up the place. In fact, he told The Guardian in 2005 that it's "bloody hard work."

Here's a closer look at Maunsel House's breathtaking grounds and its history.

Maunsel House is a British manor home originally built in the 13th century.

It's on the market with an asking price of £3.5 million, or $4.66 million.

The building sits on 11.35 acres of prime English countryside real estate.

The main house has 13 bedrooms, all of which are described as "period" and "full of charm."

The oldest part of the house, nicknamed "The Bar," dates back to before 1066, according to the home's website.

Source: Maunsel House

Many British VIPs have passed through its halls since the 14th century.

Geoffrey Chaucer himself was said to have written "The Canterbury Tales" within its walls, according to local legend.

But since 1772, the estate has been owned by the Slade family.

Whoever buys Maunsel House won't just get the country home. The property also has two cottages.

There are also multiple gardens and an orchard.

If you wanted to spend a little extra, the current owner, Benjamin Slade, reportedly said he'd throw in the title of "Wardwick of the North Moor." It's a symbolic title, but rare.

Source: Tatler

A massive centuries-old mansion brimming with British history and a largely symbolic title could be yours … for a few million pounds.

• Business Insider asked interior designers which mistakes to avoid when decorating for the holidays.
• Not having a clear organizational system can make decorating a much more time-consuming process.
• It's important to consider your pets when decorating, as certain design choices can be hazardous.

As you make your home merry and bright this holiday season, there are a few things to consider to ensure the process is as fun (and painless) as possible.

So, Business Insider asked interior designers about the common holiday decorating mistakes people should avoid making to ensure everything is organized, festive, and safe for the entire family. Here's what they said.

Lacking a clear theme can make your house look less cohesive.

It's exciting to collect new holiday decorations, but over time, that could lead to some of your items not gelling together.

"It's OK to not use every single decoration piece that you possibly have," Linda Hayslett, principal designer for LH Designs, told Business Insider, adding, "At the end of the day, we always remember those homes that are curated."

Plus, she said that when you don't pull everything out each year, you have more options to switch things up in the future (without accumulating more stuff).

Not having a clear organizational system can make decorating — and cleaning up — a pain.

One thing Hayslett recommends doing to make decorating on-theme easier is grouping similar items together in storage. For example, all your decorations could be grouped by color and labeled accordingly.

She said this makes it easier to find what you're looking for in storage every year. Plus, if you really want to keep things organized, you can even color-code your storage bins.

"For my Christmas decorations, I have green and red bins. And then for Halloween, I have black and orange bins. And then for Thanksgiving, I have brown and yellow bins, " Hayslett told BI.

Placing decorations too close to the fireplace can be a safety hazard.

Placing decorations, especially real Christmas trees, garlands, or wreaths, near an in-use fireplace can be a safety hazard, Jennifer Beget, owner and principal designer of J Beget Designs, said.

For a safer alternative to achieving the festive look, Beget suggests placing faux battery-powered candles in the fireplace instead.

Using decorations that are past their prime can make a space look dated.

There's a big difference between showcasing vintage items and using decor that's long past its shelf life, and it's important not to confuse the two if you don't want your space to look dated.

One obvious sign that a piece of decor didn't last the test of time is if it's faded, Beget said, adding, "Some things just have to be retired."

Don't forget to consider your pets' safety.

Curious cats and dogs can go sniffing around your Christmas tree, resulting in broken ornaments and potential injuries.

"Personally, we have a cat who loves to go after the bottom of the tree, and so we always have to put items he won't be able to bite into or chew so he doesn't choke," Beget said.

Hayslett also suggested decorating a separate, smaller, pet-safe tree for your cat or dog as a potential distraction from the main tree in the house.

You can also avoid placing ornaments on low branches that pets can easily reach, and make sure they're placed evenly over the tree, so it doesn't tip over.

Not using a timer for your lights can cost you extra time and money.

Bending over or climbing behind the couch to plug and unplug your holiday lights every day can be a huge pain (literally).

So, Beget recommends using a timer to allow your lights to turn on and off automatically during the season.

Plus, it's a game changer for when it's cold or rainy, so you don't have to go outside and unplug all your cords, Begets added.

And who doesn't love saving a little money on their electric bill?

• Trump announced a proposed settlement to officially end the SAVE student-loan repayment plan.
• If a court approves the settlement, borrowers on SAVE will have a limited time to enroll in a new plan and resume payments.
• The settlement ends over a year of litigation over the affordable repayment plan.

The door is about to permanently close on a major student-loan repayment plan.

On Tuesday, the Department of Education announced a proposed settlement with the State of Missouri, which, if approved, will officially end the SAVE student-loan repayment plan established by former President Joe Biden.

Biden rolled out the SAVE plan in July 2023, which was intended to provide student-loan borrowers with affordable monthly payments and a condensed timeline for debt relief. In April 2024, Missouri joined other GOP-led states in filing a lawsuit challenging the plan. Borrowers enrolled in the plan have been on forbearance since last summer, while the legal challenges continued.

The department said in a press release that, should the court approve the settlement, the department will not enroll any new borrowers in SAVE, deny pending applications, and move all enrolled borrowers to existing repayment plans.

"The law is clear: if you take out a loan, you must pay it back," Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement. "Thanks to the State of Missouri and other states fighting against this egregious federal overreach, American taxpayers can now rest assured they will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for illegal and irresponsible student loan policies."

If the settlement is approved, the department said that borrowers enrolled in SAVE "will have a limited time" to select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their loans. The department and federal servicers are expected to reach out to SAVE borrowers in the coming months with more information.

Trump's administration has indicated its intent to end the SAVE plan for months, with a phase-out of the plan by 2028. The announcement of this proposed settlement accelerates that timeline. On August 1, the Department of Education resumed interest charges on SAVE borrowers' accounts, and the Education Sec. Linda McMahon said at the time that she recommended borrowers transition to "a legally compliant repayment plan," like income-based repayment.

The department is working to carry out changes to expand eligibility for income-based repayment, like removing the requirement to have partial financial hardship, which is set to be completed in December 2025. The "big beautiful" spending legislation that Trump signed into law also included plans to eliminate SAVE and introduce two repayment options for borrowers, effective July 2026.

It's unclear when these changes will take effect. However, borrowers who leave SAVE will likely face higher monthly payments should they enroll in a different plan.

• Growing up in Portland, Oregon, was magical, but I hated my hometown the way angsty teens often do.
• To my surprise, I moved back to my hometown in my 30s and realized it's the perfect city for me.
• I love Portland's quirks, strong sense of community, natural beauty, food, and LGBTQ+ nightlife.

Portland, Oregon, isn't perfect.

It's not particularly diverse, and most restaurants close way too early for anyone under the age of 60. The "Pacific Northwest freeze" is a real thing: People here can be simultaneously too nice and impossible to befriend.

When I left Portland in my early 20s to travel the world for almost a decade, I didn't think I'd ever move back. Growing up there was pretty magical, but I hated the city in the way most angsty teens hate their hometown.

Then, amid the coronavirus pandemic, I booked a flight back to Portland to be near family. Five years later, I'm still here — and I can't see myself living anywhere else. Here's why.

The access to nature is unbeatable

Portland is surrounded by natural beauty.

Locals love to brag that you can be in the mountains or on the coast within an hour and a half — a luxury few cities can claim.

Believe it or not, you can even be in the rainforest in half an hour, surrounded by ferns and fluorescent-green moss.

I regularly make the scenic drive to the Columbia River Gorge, a historic stretch dotted with tunnels and waterfalls, when I need to clear my mind. Stopping to stand at the base of a 620-foot waterfall and get misted in the face never fails to do the trick.

The natural beauty really is everywhere. On a casual walk around my neighborhood, I've found everything from fresh blackberries and wild bunnies to roaming chickens and secret gardens filled with dahlias and roses.

Our local food scene is on par with major metropolises

I'm convinced Portland has more outstanding restaurants per capita than any other city.

Though the city is predominantly white, my taste buds have been thrilled in recent years to see diversity reflected in Portland's rise to foodie fame.

The star of the show is Kann, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant by Gregory Gourdet, where "Haitian cuisine meets Pacific Northwest bounty," and an absolutely mind-blowing plantain brioche meets my mouth.

Then there's Jinju Patisserie, named the country's most outstanding bakery at the James Beard Awards earlier this year. There, two Korean-born pastry chefs whip up croissants that rival any I've had in Paris.

But award winners barely scratch the surface. My personal list of outstanding local Thai restaurants is longer than my Trader Joe's receipts.

Plus, Portland is especially known for its food trucks, which is how I first tried Guyanese food (at Bake on the Run), snow-cheese Korean fried chicken (at Frybaby), and Puerto Rican-Philly fusion dishes (at Papi Sal's).

The LGBTQ+ nightlife feels truly queer

I came out after leaving Oregon, and before moving back, I'd only lived in areas where the LGBTQ+ community was either small or centered on gay men.

Portland is the first time I've felt included, and the queer community here is at the heart of why I chose to stay. This city's LGBTQ+ community feels refreshingly queer.

My friends and I joke that most bars in Portland are gay bars just because the local population has so many queer folks. Many popular nightlife spots regularly host LGBTQ+ events, even if they aren't specifically "gay bars."

On any given weekend, I might have to choose between a "Twilight"-themed drag show, an LGBTQ+ storytelling event, a queer pie-eating contest, a lesbian dance party, or a trans wrestling match.

Because it rarely takes me longer than 15 minutes to get anywhere around the city, I can try to squeeze all the events in.

And when I wake up exhausted and hungry on Sunday morning, I can join my fellow Portland gays doing what we love most — waiting in inordinately long brunch lines.

Portland has a community for even the quirkiest hobbies

If you've got a special interest, you're bound to find a group of people here who are loudly and proudly into the same thing, no matter how niche or offbeat.

Can you guess where I've made the most friends in Portland? If you said, "a weekly '80s-themed mall walk in the city's half-abandoned Lloyd Center mall," you'd be right.

When I picked up rollerskating during the pandemic, I was thrilled to learn that the city runs a "secret roller disco" every week in undisclosed pop-up locations like warehouse parking lots (and the same half-abandoned mall).

Over the summer, I participated in a watermelon-wrestling fundraiser. In the fall, I got to take an entire four-week class about 1970s cult horror in the back room of Movie Madness, one of the country's only remaining video-rental stores.

All in all, I've fallen for the city

The older I get, the more I appreciate that Portland doesn't feel like a city, but rather it's a bunch of neighborhoods quilted together.

It's easy to feel welcome here when there are free tiny libraries and flyers for different clubs and events around every corner.

Everything I love about Portland, from the hiking trails to my favorite Thai soup spot (shoutout to Khao Moo Dang) to the drag scene, comes down to one thing: community.

It's an elusive concept I spent most of my 20s searching for in far-off places. In an ironic twist of fate that really pleases my mother, I ended up finding it in my hometown.

• Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway revealed a raft of leadership changes on Monday.
• Todd Combs is leaving, Marc Hamburg will retire, and Berkshire is hiring its first general counsel.
• Berkshire gurus broke down what the moves mean and warned of more departures as Buffett prepares to retire.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway announced its biggest management shake-up in decades on Monday, including a surprise exit, a retirement, and a new position.

Close followers welcomed the moves, but two warned they could mark the start of a wider exodus as the legendary investor enters his final weeks as CEO after six decades in charge.

Greg Abel, the head of Berkshire's non-insurance operations, is poised to take the reins from Buffett on January 1.

Carolyn Dewar, a senior partner at McKinsey and coauthor of "A CEO for All Seasons," told Business Insider that a leadership shuffle often accompanies a CEO change.

"Getting the top team right is the CEO-elect's most important early decision," Dewar said, adding that a CEO's "real leverage comes through leaders" and if they're "not aligned, capable, and energized for the next chapter, no strategy can take hold."

John Longo, a finance professor at Rutgers Business School and the author of "Buffett's Tips," told Business Insider there are parallels to a "new football coach wanting to install his own offensive and defensive coordinators."

Dewar also said a CEO transition is often an "unfreezing moment" for a company's leaders, prompting them to "step back and reflect" on whether they want to keep working under the new boss or make a change as well.

Marc Hamburg doesn't get enough credit

Berkshire's finance chief of nearly four decades, Marc Hamburg, will hand over his responsibilities to Berkshire Hathaway Energy's finance boss, Charles Chang, in June 2026, but hold off on retiring until June 2027 to ease the transition.

Adam Mead, the author of "The Complete Financial History of Berkshire Hathaway," told Business Insider that Hamburg was "probably the least appreciated person in Berkshire from the outside looking in." Mead said his "contributions to structuring deals and managing the financials can't be overstated."

Hamburg's willingness to work with his successor for a full year is a "testament to his commitment to Berkshire and its longevity," Chris Bloomstran, the president of Semper Augustus Investments and a Berkshire shareholder for 25 years, told Business Insider.

He likely remained in his role for so long "out of loyalty to Berkshire and to Warren," Bloomstran added.

Adam Johnson could be the first of several divisional chiefs

NetJets CEO Adam Johnson has been appointed president of Berkshire's 32 consumer products, service, and retailing businesses — a group that includes See's Candies, FlightSafety, and Fruit of the Loom.

"Installing a respected senior operator to support dozens of business-unit CEOs both strengthens those businesses and creates needed bandwidth for Greg as he assumes overall responsibility," Lawrence Cunningham, the author of several books about Berkshire and the director of the University of Delaware's Weinberg Center, told Business Insider.

As CEO, Abel will continue to oversee Berkshire's other non-insurance businesses, such as the BNSF Railway, Pilot, and Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland and longtime Buffett blogger, told Business Insider that he expected Abel to pick someone to supervise those "very large" businesses in the near future.

Mead predicted Abel would appoint more divisional heads, emulating a Berkshire-owned conglomerate named Marmon, which has divisional presidents overseeing its more than 100 businesses.

Todd Combs may or may not be replaced

Buffett hired Todd Combs in 2010 and Ted Weschler in 2011, tasking the hedge fund managers with helping him to pick stocks for Berkshire. Combs also took over as Geico's CEO in 2020 and spearheaded the auto insurer's rebound this year.

Combs, widely seen as a key leader of post-Buffett Berkshire, is leaving to head up a new investment unit at JPMorgan and be a special advisor to CEO Jamie Dimon.

Kass predicted Berkshire would find a replacement for Combs to help Weschler manage Berkshire's more than $350 billion worth of cash and roughly $300 billion stock portfolio.

Bloomstran said Weschler might take charge of a larger chunk of Berkshire's portfolio and be a "sounding board" for Abel on major investments, or at least take over Combs' allocation if he hasn't already.

Nancy Pierce is a classic Berkshire pick

Geico's operating chief, Nancy Pierce, has replaced Combs as CEO after nearly 40 years at the company. She's "tremendously qualified" for the job, Bloomstran said.

Pierce's appointment is "pure continuity," Cunningham said, adding that her long tenure, deep experience, and strong endorsement from insurance boss Ajit Jain are "all very on brand for Berkshire."

Michael O'Sullivan is building on Charlie Munger's legacy

Michael O'Sullivan will become Berkshire's first-ever general counsel on New Year's Day. Prior to joining Snap as general counsel in 2017, O'Sullivan spent more than two decades at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, cofounded by Buffett's late business partner, Charlie Munger.

Cunningham said O'Sullivan's appointment is a "prudent modernization and a natural evolution of the Munger lineage inside Berkshire."

Bloomstran said the new position was "interesting but not surprising" as Berkshire has long relied on Munger, Tolles & Olson as external counsel, and cofounder Ron Olson recently retired from Berkshire's board, where he likely served as an informal legal advisor.

More changes may be coming

Kass underscored that no other senior leaders are leaving Berkshire and said it's "critically important" that Jain and other senior insurance bosses, such as Joe Brandon, "remain in place to smooth this management transition."

Meyer Shields, a managing director at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods who's been covering Berkshire for more than 15 years, said in a research note that his team "expect more turnover" in the months ahead, as the cachet of "working for Mr. Buffett's successor is not (at least yet) the same as working for Mr. Buffett himself."

Brett Gardner, the author of "Buffett's Early Investments," told Business Insider there's "justifiable concern that some people want to work for Warren Buffett and not Berkshire Hathaway."

Gardner said that might not be the case with the latest moves, but it's "something to watch out for."

Complicating matters is the reality that many of Buffett's most trusted lieutenants are "past retirement age already," he added.