On November 28th, local time, Berkshire Hathaway announced in a statement that the vice chairman of the board, Charlie Munger's family informed the company a few minutes ago that Munger peacefully passed away that morning in a California hospital at the age of 99.
Munger, born on January 1, 1924, was just over a month away from celebrating his 100th birthday. Munger was known as the "walking encyclopedia," "behind-the-scenes strategist," and the "ultimate secret weapon."
A month ago, on October 29th, at the age of 99, Munger made his first appearance on a podcast. In the podcast interview, he expressed high expectations for the Chinese economy. He believed that in the next 20 years, the Chinese economy has better prospects than almost any other major economy.
In this interview, when talking about China, Munger said, "My view of China is, one, that the Chinese economy has better prospects for the next 20 years than almost any other major economy. That's one. Second, the leading Chinese companies are much stronger, much better than the giants elsewhere, and much cheaper. So, I naturally want to take some risks from Chinese companies in my investment portfolio."
In addition, he also expressed optimism about BYD. "This guy (referring to Wang Chuanfu) is a genius. I have never seen anyone like him. He can do anything. He is a born engineer, a production manager who can make everything."
Munger described BYD as a "huge wealth" where a large number of talented people gather in one place, solving all the problems of electric vehicles in terms of motors, acceleration, brakes, and more.
BYD also released a statement on the afternoon of the 29th, stating, "In 2008, we were fortunate to gain his recognition, and Berkshire Hathaway became an important shareholder of the company. This was the first time the company received recognition from a top international investment institution, injecting strong confidence and motivation for us to always adhere to the new energy vehicle industry."
