Warren Buffett son reveals surprising moment when he realised his father was billionaire: 'I had no idea'

Warren Buffett, former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, topped the list of the world’s richest people in 2008 with $62 billion, surpassing Bill Gates net worth. Surprisingly, his youngest son, Peter Buffett, remained largely unaware of how wealthy and influential his father was for years.

Speaking to Fortune, Peter Buffett only realised how powerful his father was in his 20s, during a casual conversation with his mother, following noticing his father’s name on Forbes’ 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 told Forbes in 2013. “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. “Our friends were as surprised as I was,” he added.

At the Forbes’ Second Annual Summit on Philanthropy in 2013, Warren Buffett sat next to his son, discussing how humbly his children were raised despite immense wealth. “Our kids had a very normal growing-up. They did not ride in private planes. They went to school on the bus,” Buffett said.

“I just lived the life I wanted to live, and my wife lived the life she wanted to live. There wasn’t anything that we wanted that we didn’t have, but we didn’t crave a lot of possessions,” he told Forbes.

About Peter Buffett

Peter Buffett, now 67, is the youngest child of Warren Buffett and Susan Buffett. Peter has established himself as a musician, composer, author and philanthropist. His achievements include a regional Emmy Award, New York Times best-selling author, and serving as co-chair of the NoVo Foundation.

Warren Buffett’s net worth

Once the richest in the world, Warren Buffett had a net worth of $62 billion. Although he is no longer the world’s richest man, he remains one of the top 10 wealthiest individuals globally, with a current net worth of approximately $145 billion.