A aposta da Berkshire na Bending Spoons, uma tech cara para os padrões da casa

Berkshire Hathaway has recently announced a US$930 million investment in the rapidly growing Italian technology conglomerate, Bending Spoons. The investment includes a US$600 million contribution to the company's IPO in July, and a recent purchase of US$330 million in shares. Since the IPO, Bending Spoons' stock has risen by about 38%, giving Berkshire a potential accounting profit of about US$600 million, according to Barron’s.

With the recent purchase of 10 million shares, the company now holds roughly 4% of Bending Spoons. Based in Milan, Bending Spoons has built a portfolio of technology companies that were overlooked by their previous owners, including AOL, Brightcove, Eventbrite, and Vimeo. In September, the company completed a $1.4 billion deal to acquire Miro, an AI-focused technology company.

Bending Spoons' strategy resembles that of a private equity firm, with the goal of making investments more profitable through technology and artificial intelligence, often accompanied by price increases and workforce reductions. The company's approach deviates from Berkshire's typical focus on value stocks. With a market valuation of about $40 billion, Bending Spoons had approximately $4 billion in debt at the time of its IPO.

The position held by Berkshire is notable as it deviates from the company's history of investing in mature, relatively low-priced technology software firms. This investment occurred during the leadership of Berkshire's CEO, Greg Abel, following Warren Buffett's retirement, and it is unclear if Buffett was involved in the decision, as he was in the case of the company's acquisition of over 100 million Alphabet shares in June.