Astrid, the wife of billionaire Warren Buffett, reportedly moaned about the price of a $4 cup of coffee at the rich and famous summer camp in Sun Valley on Thursday.
In a scene mirroring a screenplay from Succession, Astrid Buffett grumbled about how much she had to pay for her morning drink, despite her 92-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman husband being worth more than $115 billion.
According to the NYPost, Buffett complained that she could “get a pound of coffee” for the same price elsewhere.
The billionaire couple married in 2006, when she was 60 and he was 73. They live in a humble home in Omaha, Nebraska, which Buffett paid $31,000 for in 1958.
CEOs from many industries met at the “Billionaire Summer Camp,” Allen & Co.’s annual summer conference.
Warren Buffett and Astrid Buffett at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 6, 2011
Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., walks with his wife Astrid to the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Resort on July 12, 2014
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, heads to a morning session on July 13, 2023
The annual event in Idaho is known for hosting high-profile business deals, or at least being the site of the conversations that started them.
Meetings take place behind closed doors, journalists are not allowed to attend.
In Season 2 Episode 6 of Succession, the fictional de Roys billionaire family goes to Argestes – a camp based on the real Allen & Co camp.
Another billionaire patriarch, Nan Pierce, scoffs at the price of the drinks on the menu during the TV show – similar to the scene reportedly seen by onlookers at the coffee shop today.
The fictional Nan Pierce mocks the price of the drinks on the menu during the television program Succession
Among the moguls in attendance this year are Disney CEO Bob Iger, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and OpenAI founder Sam Altman.
Warren Buffett was spotted this morning riding a golf cart to a morning session.
Bill Gates also smiled, wearing a name tag so other billionaires in the room knew who he was.
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, grabbed a cup of coffee for a session at the summit on Thursday.
New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked to lunch together during the conference on Wednesday.
Fashion magnate François-Henri Pinault was also seen in Sun Valley yesterday.
Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York and CEO of Bloomberg LP, was photographed leaving a morning session.
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, walks to lunch at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 13, 2023, wearing a name tag
Shari Ellin Redstone, president of National Amusements, beams into a morning session in her red coat
Becky Quick, co-anchor of CNBC’s financial news show Squawk Box, at the conference
Disney CEO Bob Iger walks to lunch at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 13, 2023 in Sun Valley
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, has a cup of coffee before a session
And Sheryl Sandberg – Meta’s former COO – smiled as she walked out of one of the workshops with her husband Tom Bernthal.
Bernthal is the CEO of a strategic consulting firm, Kelton Global, and a former NBC News producer.
But this year’s celebration is expected to be marred by an ongoing writers’ strike and the rise of artificial intelligence and streaming services.
One of the storylines featured this week comes from Disney chief Bob Iger, whose contract has now been extended through 2026.
Iger was seen walking to lunch on Wednesday wearing aviator sunglasses and a long-sleeved white T-shirt.
Another hot button issue at the summit is also reportedly a recent federal court ruling in favor of Activision Blizzard Inc. CEO Bobby Kotick, who according to Bloomberg contributed to the sale of his company for $69 billion to Microsoft.
Both Kotick and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are known to regularly attend the annual billionaire meeting.
Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr and Slack, and Jen Rubio are pictured at the top
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta Platforms, walks into a morning session
Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity Space, and Stephanie Langhoff were also spotted on Thursday
Marc Benioff, Chief Executive Officer of Salesforce, walks with other attendees as they leave a morning session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 13
And with David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, eyes will open to discussions about the future of the controversial news network CNN.
Meanwhile, in the tech industry, leaders are expected to meet with US Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo to discuss the $52 billion U.S. Chips and Science Act, which is designed to support advanced domestic semiconductor manufacturing, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
And they will likely discuss ongoing negotiations to create a new Indo-Pacific trade deal to replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which former President Donald Trump dissolved in 2017.
A first draft of the agreement would have effectively hampered member states’ efforts to regulate technology companies, including on market dominance and privacy issues.
Tech staffers have also been lobbying government officials in recent months to ensure their interests are represented in the new deal that aims to curb China’s influence in Asia.