What Warren Buffett Says About High-Profile IPOs Like Airbnb, DoorDash

Big-name IPOs DoorDash Inc DASH and Airbnb, Inc. ABNB got off to volatile starts on the market this week. Some investors believe these two growth stocks are just getting started, while others are skeptical of the stocks’ massive valuations.

Buffett On Uber: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) CEO and legendary Wall Street investor Warren Buffett hasn’t weighed in on DoorDash and Airbnb specifically, but he spoke about another high-profile IPO in Uber Technologies Inc UBER back in 2019.

“In 54 years, I don’t think Berkshire has ever bought a new issue,” Buffett told CNBC.

“The idea of saying the best place in the world I could put my money is something where all the selling incentives are there, commissions are higher, the animal spirits are rising, that that’s going to better than 1,000 other things I could buy where there is no similar enthusiasm … just doesn’t make any sense.”

Related Link: Why It's Unlikely Warren Buffett Is Actually Investing In Snowflake

Resist The FOMO: The fear of missing out on a popular IPO can cloud investors’ judgement, leading them to make poor investment decisions, Buffett has said.

Berkshire made headlines by investing in the IPO of Snowflake Inc SNOW earlier this year.

Most Buffett followers believe Berkshire portfolio managers Todd Combs or Ted Weschler — not Buffett himself — were responsible for the Snowflake buy.

So far, the DoorDash and Airbnb IPOs have been tremendous successes, but Buffett also has some advice for investors who missed the chance to get in cheap.

Just because an investment happens to work out for others doesn’t mean it was a smart investment.

“You don’t have to really worry about what’s really going on in IPOs. People win lotteries every day, but there's no reason to let that affect [your investing strategy] at all,” Buffett said back in 2016.

"You don't want to get into a stupid game just because it's available."

Benzinga’s Take: DoorDash and Airbnb are both tremendously successful and popular companies. But just because you know and love a product or service doesn’t mean the company’s stock makes for a good investment at any price.