Warren Buffett Once Spoke About 'The Only Thing' He Didn't Like About His Job: '...Occasionally I Have To Fire Somebody'

Warren Buffett, in a conversation that dates back decades, mentioned that the happiest part of running Berkshire Hathaway BRK BRK is that he "tap-dance[s] to work" every morning and rarely confronts the single task he despises, which is firing someone.

What Happened: Speaking to University of Washington business students during a joint Q&A with Microsoft's MSFT Bill Gates in 1998, Buffett outlined his frank yardstick for success and the lone blemish on an otherwise dream job.

"I get to do what I like to do every single day of the year and I get to do it with people I like," he said, before conceding, "the only thing in my job that I don't like — and this just happens every three or four years — is that occasionally I have to fire somebody." "Everything else," he added, "is tremendous fun."

Buffett urged students not to postpone passion. Waiting, he warned, is "a little like saving up s*x for your old age." Instead, "work for an organization of people you admire, because it will turn you on," he said.

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Buffett reiterated that mantra at a lecture he gave at the University of Georgia in 2001, responding to a student's query about their post-graduation employment. His takeaway for young professionals is stark: find bosses you admire, colleagues who inspire and work that makes you “lie on your back and paint the ceiling.”

Why It Matters: Speaking of advice to students, Buffett told MBA students in 2008 that he built his fortune by saving $120 for his first three shares at age 11, parlaying it into $9,800 by age 20, and eventually betting three-quarters of his net worth on GEICO because investing simply thrilled him.

Four years later, he scolded another roomful of MBAs, calling most business-school finance courses "the silliest stuff" and urging faculty to drop the math fads in favor of just two subjects: valuing a business and thinking rationally about markets. Together, the anecdotes strip the mystique from formal credentials and spotlight disciplined curiosity, long hours of groundwork, and genuine enjoyment as Buffett's real edge.

At Berkshire's 2025 annual meeting, Buffett pressed the lesson further. Choose colleagues who raise your standards and pursue work you would do for free, he said. He warned investors that careers drift toward the character of their companions, so they should surround themselves with people who make them better and avoid employers that push dubious conduct. In Buffett's formula, passion fuels persistence, and ethical associations shape both professional triumphs and the broader measure of a life well lived.

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