• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceWarren Buffett

Bitcoin ‘stupid and evil,’ Berkshire Hathaway vice chair Munger says

By
Erin Prater
Erin Prater
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erin Prater
Erin Prater
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 30, 2022, 6:14 PM ET

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and vice chairman Charlie Munger took turns bashing bitcoin at the company’s annual shareholder meeting Saturday in Omaha, Neb.

“Whether it goes up or down in the next year, or five or 10 years, I don’t know. But the one thing I’m pretty sure of is that it doesn’t produce anything,” Buffett said of cryptocurrency, as reported by CNBC. “It’s got a magic to it and people have attached magics to lots of things.”

He also criticized the passive nature of bitcoin, saying that if he invests in apartments, they’ll produce rent, and if he investments in farmland, they’ll produce crops.

“If you told me you own all of the bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn’t take it because what would I do with it?” he said, according to CNBC. “I’d have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn’t going to do anything.”

Munger took a less measured approach, saying that “in my life, I try to avoid things that are stupid and evil and make me look bad … and bitcoin does all three.”

“In the first place, it’s stupid because it’s still likely to go to zero,” he said. “It’s evil because it undermines the Federal Reserve System … and third, it makes us look foolish compared to the Communist leader in China. He was smart enough to ban bitcoin in China.”

Buffett has previously called crypto “rat poison squared,” according to CNBC. And earlier this year Munger said it was akin to a “venereal disease,” according to CNN.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Erin Prater
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

vivek
CommentaryRobotics
The U.S. is winning the AI chatbot war — and losing the one that actually matters
By Vivek RanadiveMarch 14, 2026
1 hour ago
iran
Middle EastMiddle East
Iran stretches war into third week with missile strike on U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad
By Jon Gambrell, Sam Mednick, Konstantin Toropin, Mike Corder and The Associated PressMarch 14, 2026
2 hours ago
polman
CommentaryKraft Heinz
Kraft Heinz and the cost of narrow capitalism
By Paul PolmanMarch 14, 2026
2 hours ago
C-SuiteRetail
The Lululemon founder who invented athleisure is now the company’s harshest gadfly
By Phil WahbaMarch 14, 2026
3 hours ago
Cryptooil and gas
Want to bet on oil prices this weekend? Traders are rushing to this hot crypto platform amid the war in Iran
By Ben WeissMarch 14, 2026
3 hours ago
C-SuiteLeadership
Meta’s new AI team has 50 engineers per boss. What could go wrong?
By Claire ZillmanMarch 14, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
The national debt isn't $39 trillion. One economist says it's actually $100 trillion
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 13, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
When Jamie Dimon was fired from Citigroup, his daughters asked: 'Will we be homeless? Can I still go to college? Can I have your phone?'
By Eleanor PringleMarch 13, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
The U.S. Mint dropped the olive branch from the dime. What does that mean for the country?
By Catherina GioinoMarch 12, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
'This cannot be sustainable': The U.S. borrowed $50 billion a week for the past five months, the CBO says
By Eleanor PringleMarch 10, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump's immigration crackdown is backfiring by hurting the U.S.-born workers it was meant to help, data shows
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 10, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Morgan Stanley warns an AI breakthrough Is coming in 2026 — and most of the world isn't ready
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 13, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.