Warren Buffett’s son Peter didn’t find out his father was a billionaire until he was in his 20s—and he learned it the same way the rest of the world did: by spotting his dad’s name on a list of the richest Americans.
“I’m not kidding. It was when I was in my 20s that my mom and I talked at some point, because there he was, on this list,” Peter, now 68, recalled in a 2013 Forbes interview with both Peter and Warren Buffett. “And we laughed about it, because we said, ‘Well, isn’t it funny? You know, we know who we are, but everybody’s treating us differently now.'”
It’s an ironic admission about one of the most famous fortunes in the world. The former Berkshire Hathaway CEO was once the planet’s richest man, famously dethroning Bill Gates in 2008—yet one of the people closest to him had no idea.
Peter is the youngest of Warren Buffett’s three children with his first wife, Susan Alice Buffett. Peter is an American musician, composer, author, and philanthropist who has won a regional Emmy Award, become a New York Times best-selling author, and served as co-chair of the NoVo Foundation. But Peter recalled that conversation with his mom, with little effect on his outlook or perception of his family.
