NEW YORK - Greg Abel appears to be putting his stamp on Berkshire Hathaway, which committed US$16.8 billion (S$21.5 billion) over two days to buy homebuilder Taylor Morrison Home Corp and help Google build out artificial intelligence.The investments may begin satisfying investors who have clamoured for Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett as chief executive in January, to do what his predecessor did not: spend more of Berkshire’s cash.Many investors and analysts have said Berkshire’s cash, which totaled US$380.2 billion as of March 31, has weighed on the conglomerate’s share price.The shares are down 13 per cent from their record high in May 2025, while the technology-heavy Standard & Poor’s 500 has risen 34 per cent in the same period.“Everyone has been waiting for Greg to do his thing, beyond Warren Buffett’s shadow, and we’re now seeing that,” said Steven Check, president of Check Capital Management, which has invested US$700 million in Berkshire stock and options. “It’s encouraging.”Berkshire agreed on Monday to buy US$10 billion of stock in Google’s parent Alphabet in a private placement, as part of an US$80 billion equity fundraising by the tech giant.The investment signals Berkshire’s confidence in Alphabet’s leadership in AI. Berkshire began investing in Alphabet in in the third quarter of 2025, and owned US$16.6 billion of shares as of March 31. The latest investment should make Alphabet one of its five largest common stock holdings, which are led by iPhone maker Apple .That bet marks a reversal from Buffett’s hesitancy to invest in technology companies. He viewed Apple as a bet on the consumer.At Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting in 2019, Buffett and late vice chairman Charlie Munger lamented not investing in Google sooner, with Buffett saying Google’s advertising model resembled what was working for Berkshire’s Geico car insurance unit.“We screwed up,” Munger said.“He’s saying we blew it,” Buffett responded. Buffett remains Berkshire’s chairman.The US$6.8 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison was announced on May 31.It would help Berkshire expand its commitment to the housing industry, which also includes the Clayton Homes manufactured housing business, as well as sellers of bricks, paint and insulation. Berkshire also runs one of the largest US residential real estate brokerages.While Berkshire has pledged to keep a US$30 billion cash cushion, investors have said it could consider buying back more of its stock, or instituting its first dividend since 1967.The conglomerate’s dozens of operating businesses are sometimes considered a microcosm of the American economy.They include the BNSF railroad, an array of energy and industrial companies, and retail businesses such as Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and See’s Candies. REUTERS