What People Will Think of Buffett in 100 Years

Author Malcolm Gladwell said in an interview last year:

This got me thinking: Great business leaders' legacies are often far removed from what their businesses accomplished. At current trends, the odds are high that Apple will be a more relevant company than Microsoft 20 years from now. But because of philanthropy alone, I tend to agree with Gladwell -- Gates will be known for ages.

The same might be true of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway . Last month I sat down with value-investing great Mohnish Pabrai. Here's what he had to say when I asked him what the world will think of Buffett 100 years from now:

Morgan Housel: Do you think 100 years from now we will still look back at Warren as the best investor ever? Or will someone meet his 50-year track record, or is that a once-in-a-million-years record?

Mohnish Pabrai: Well, I think the package that is Warren Buffett will go down in history and will be remembered way beyond 100 years, because I think the package that is Warren Buffett is a remarkable package. And I think that the thing is, Warren's skills as a business leader get overlooked because he's such a good investor. I think his business leadership skills are vastly superior to his investing skills. Then I think more recently when he's put efforts behind, like, the Giving Pledge or his own work in giving money away, it's possible that the Gates Foundation, it's quite likely, actually, will come through with breakthroughs in vaccines. That will be Bill Gates' and Warren Buffett's legacy as well.

So I think the story is yet to be written on the impacts, and I think just the Giving Pledge alone is bringing in hundreds of billions into philanthropy that may not have come in. So I think that what people remember him the most for is up for debate, but I would say 100, 200, 300 years from now, people will remember."

What Buffett can do for your portfolio now
Warren Buffett's long track record of success has made him one of the best investors of all time. With Buffett at the helm, Berkshire Hathaway has grown book value per share at a compounded annual rate of 19.8% for nearly 50 years! Despite an incredible historical track record, investors have to understand the key issues to watch moving forward. To help investors, the Fool's resident Berkshire Hathaway expert, Joe Magyer, has created this premium research report on the company. Inside you'll receive ongoing updates as key news hits, as well as reasons to both buy and sell the stock. Claim a copy by clicking here now.

The article What People Will Think of Buffett in 100 Years originally appeared on Fool.com.

Morgan Housel owns shares of Berkshire. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway and owns shares of Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.