Catenaa, Monday, May 05, 2025- Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on Saturday rejected seven shareholder resolutions focused on diversity, artificial intelligence (AI) oversight and environmental practices, aligning with the company’s leadership in opposing the measures.
The votes came during the conglomerate’s annual meeting, shortly after Warren Buffett announced he will step down as chief executive at the end of 2025.
Vice Chairman Greg Abel, who will succeed Buffett, presided over the meeting and led the presentation of shareholder proposals.
Among the rejected resolutions was a call for Berkshire to report risks associated with race-based initiatives at its subsidiaries and another to analyze the impact of its practices on employees based on race, religion, gender, and political views.
Proposals to form a diversity oversight committee and assign independent directors to monitor AI risks were also voted down.
Buffett, who controls about 30% of the company’s voting power, and the board unanimously opposed the proposals. They argued the resolutions conflicted with Berkshire’s decentralized structure, which delegates policy decisions to its subsidiaries.
“Follow the law and do the right thing,” remains the company’s stated approach, according to the board.
The votes come as corporate America faces increasing political and legal pushback on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Berkshire, which removed “diversity and inclusion” from its hiring goals in its latest annual report, mirrored this broader trend.
All directors standing for reelection, including Buffett and Abel, were reaffirmed by shareholders.
