DES MOINES — Greg Abel, the man anointed to succeed Warren Buffett as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, became a U.S. citizen on Thursday night. The setting? Not a federal courthouse. Not an immigration office. A minor league baseball game.
The Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, hosted their annual naturalization ceremony before the game. Abel, 64, was among two dozen people from 16 countries who took the oath of allegiance on the field at Principal Park. The crowd cheered. Then they threw out the first pitch and ate hot dogs.
This is absurd. And beautiful.
A Canadian in Iowa
Abel was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1962. He moved to the United States decades ago, settled in Iowa, and built a career that made him the frontrunner to lead a $1 trillion conglomerate. He's been a permanent resident for years, but he never got around to the final step. Until Thursday.
“It’s a great country,” Abel told reporters after the ceremony. He didn't say much else. Classic Berkshire style: understated, unflashy, get the job done.
But let's be honest—there's something deeply American about becoming a citizen at a baseball game. The green card process takes years. The paperwork is brutal. And the payoff? A night at the ballpark with a minor league team named after a major league team's farm system. Perfect.
“He’s the most powerful Canadian you’ve never heard of—until now.”
The Succession Question
Abel has been Buffett's heir apparent since 2021, when Berkshire's board made it official. He oversees the company's non-insurance operations, which include everything from BNSF Railway to Dairy Queen. If you've bought a box of See's Candies or flown NetJets, you've touched Abel's empire.
Buffett, now 95, has been slowing down. The annual shareholder meeting in Omaha felt more like a farewell tour than a business update. Abel's ascension is imminent. And now he can check one box that Buffett himself never had to worry about: being a U.S. citizen.
It matters. Berkshire Hathaway is an American icon. Having a non-citizen CEO would have been a political headache. The company's government contracts, regulatory approvals, and sheer patriotic branding require someone who can vote and hold a passport without a green card.
Abel fixed that. At a baseball game.
The Ceremony
The Iowa Cubs have hosted this event for years. It's a PR move, sure, but it's also genuinely moving. The team invites local immigrants to take the oath on the field, then they play the national anthem. The crowd stands. Some people cry. Then they play ball.
This year, Abel was just another face in the crowd of new citizens. He wore a blue shirt, no tie. No entourage. No media handlers. Just a guy from Canada who runs a $300 billion portfolio getting naturalized alongside a nurse from Nigeria and a chef from Mexico.
“It was very special,” Abel said. “I think the baseball tie-in is very unique.”
Unique is an understatement. It's the most unpretentious power move imaginable. Other CEOs get naturalized in private ceremonies with photographers. Abel did it between innings.
What This Means for Berkshire
Abel's citizenship removes one of the last uncertainties about the succession. He's been running the show behind the scenes for years. Buffett still holds the title, but Abel is the one calling the shots on the ground.
Investors have been nervous about the transition. Berkshire is a cult of personality. Buffett's folksy wisdom and legendary capital allocation are irreplaceable. But Abel has proven himself a capable operator. He's not Buffett—no one is—but he's steady. He's disciplined. And now he's American.
The stock barely moved on the news. That's fine. Berkshire shareholders aren't traders. They're buy-and-hold types who trust the process. Abel becoming a citizen is a procedural step, not a catalyst. But it's a step that needed to happen.
There's also the optics. In an era when immigration is a political football, Abel's story is a reminder that the system works—eventually. He waited decades. He paid taxes. He played by the rules. And he got his citizenship at a minor league baseball game in Iowa, surrounded by people who did the same.
That's the American dream, right? Not the glitz. Not the headlines. Just a Thursday night in Des Moines, a ballpark hot dog, and a piece of paper that says you belong.
The Bottom Line
Greg Abel is now a U.S. citizen. He's about to become the CEO of one of the most important companies in the world. And he did it with zero fanfare, zero ego, and a perfect sense of place.
Iowa, a baseball game, and a handful of strangers sharing a moment.
You can't make this up. And you don't need to.
Welcome home, Greg. Now go run Berkshire.
