WARREN BUFFETT, the billionaire investor, announced on Wednesday that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will not be endorsing any presidential candidate in the upcoming US election.
In a statement posted on the company’s website, Berkshire Hathaway warned against believing imposters and clarified that Buffett, the chairman and CEO, will not be supporting any investment products or political candidates before the election.
The statement read: “With the increasing use of social media, there have been fraudulent claims about Mr. Buffett endorsing investment products or endorsing and supporting political candidates. Mr. Buffett currently does not and is not expected to support investment products, nor will he endorse and support political candidates.”
Buffett told CNBC that part of the reason for issuing this statement was the appearance of political endorsements impersonating him on the social media platform Instagram.
He told CNBC: “I don’t even know how to get on Instagram. Anything they see posted with my image or voice is not me.”
In a phone interview with The Wall Street Journal, Buffett also expressed concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence, fearing that someone could mimic his image or voice in the final days of the presidential race to mislead people into thinking he supports a particular candidate.
He told the outlet: “The mimicry can now be executed perfectly and can be instantly disseminated. They can do it in a way that would convince even my family.”
As Buffett made this statement, the US presidential election entered its final two weeks, with polls showing no significant difference in overall support between Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee, former President Trump. Both candidates are actively campaigning and seeking more financial support to gain an edge.
Buffett’s stance may disappoint some Democrats who were hoping that the billionaire Democrat would support their party’s candidate, Harris, at the eleventh hour before the election. The 94-year-old Buffett had previously supported Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in past presidential elections.