Warren Buffett on Hiring

Chairman & CEO at Berkshire Hathaway

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Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, widely considered the greatest investor of all time. Known for his simple, principles-based approach to evaluating both businesses and people, and for keeping an extraordinarily lean headquarters of fewer than 30 employees.

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you.”

Warren Buffett has been chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway for over half a century, building it into a conglomerate worth nearly $900 billion. He runs it with fewer than 30 people at headquarters. That fact alone tells you everything about his hiring philosophy: find people you trust completely, then let them run.

"Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you."

This framework — integrity, intelligence, energy, in that order — is the most-repeated piece of hiring advice in Buffett's half-century of annual letters and talks. He insists the order is non-negotiable. Intelligence and energy without integrity produce someone who will work hard and cleverly to cause damage. Most hiring mistakes, in his view, come from being dazzled by brains and drive while ignoring character.

"I run a company with 380,000 employees and fewer than 30 people at headquarters. If I have to micromanage someone, I've made a hiring mistake."

Buffett's actual hiring process is radically simple. For the CEOs who run Berkshire's subsidiaries, he typically has a single long conversation. He's not evaluating skills — he already knows their track record, often over decades. He's evaluating character. Can he trust this person to run a multibillion-dollar business with near-total autonomy?

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."

The "front page" test is his simplest tool: would you be comfortable if every decision this person made appeared on the front page of the newspaper? If the answer is yes, you've found someone worth trusting. If there's any hesitation, keep looking.

Philosophy

Core beliefs about hiring and talent

Buffett's hiring philosophy is radically simple. He looks for three things: integrity, intelligence, and energy. But he insists they must come in that order — because without the first, the other two will kill you. He has repeated this framework for decades because he believes most hiring mistakes come from getting the order wrong.

Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you.

Buffett's most famous hiring framework, repeated in virtually every talk he gives to students.

You're looking for three things in a person: intelligence, energy, and integrity. If they don't have the last one, don't even bother with the first two. I tell the students, everyone here has the first two. But the third is up to you.

I run a company with 380,000 employees and fewer than 30 people at headquarters. The way that works is I hire people I trust completely and then I let them run their businesses. If I have to micromanage them, I've made a hiring mistake.

Hiring Process

How they structure interviews and evaluations

Buffett's process is the opposite of corporate. He runs Berkshire Hathaway with fewer than 30 people at headquarters. He hires CEOs to run his subsidiaries, gives them near-total autonomy, and evaluates them on long-term results rather than short-term metrics. His 'hiring process' for major roles often consists of a single long conversation.

My hiring process for major roles is simple. I talk to the person. Usually just one long conversation. I'm not evaluating their skills — I already know their track record. I'm evaluating their character. That's not something you measure with a structured interview.

I don't check references in the traditional sense. I look at what someone has done over decades. A 20-year track record is more reliable than 20 reference calls. Show me the results, and show me how they were achieved.

Interview Questions

Questions they ask candidates

Buffett's questions are deceptively simple and often philosophical. He wants to understand how people think about integrity, about long-term value creation, and about the difference between being smart and being wise.

If you could only pick one quality in a business partner, what would it be and why?

Buffett uses this to understand how people prioritize character versus capability.

Tell me about a time you could have cut a corner and no one would have known. What did you do?

Directly tests integrity — the quality Buffett considers non-negotiable.

Who do you admire most and why?

Buffett believes the people we admire reveal our true values more than anything we say about ourselves.

What They Look For

Traits and signals that excite them

Buffett looks for people who would behave exactly the same whether or not anyone was watching. He calls this the 'front page' test — would you be comfortable if this person's decisions were reported on the front page of the newspaper?

People who would behave exactly the same whether or not anyone is watching. The 'front page' test: if every decision this person made appeared on the front page of the newspaper, would you be comfortable? If yes, that's someone you can trust.

Long track records of honest dealing. Buffett doesn't care much about a single interview. He cares about what someone has done over 10 or 20 years. Consistent integrity over time is the most reliable signal there is.

Dealbreakers

Warning signs that concern them

Buffett is deeply wary of people who are smart and energetic but lack integrity. He considers this combination actively dangerous, because those people will use their intelligence and energy to do damage.

Smart, energetic people without integrity. Buffett considers this the most dangerous combination in business. They will use their intelligence and energy to find creative ways to do damage, and you won't see it coming until it's too late.

People who are focused on short-term results at the expense of long-term reputation. Buffett famously said it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. He avoids people who don't think in those terms.

Signals to Watch

Subtle cues they pay attention to

How someone talks about money. People who are obsessed with getting rich quick versus people who are obsessed with building something that lasts. Buffett gravitates toward the latter because they make decisions with a longer time horizon.

Frameworks

Mental models and structured approaches

The integrity-intelligence-energy framework: evaluate people in this exact order. First, do they have integrity? If no, stop. If yes, are they intelligent? If yes, do they have energy? All three must be present, and integrity must come first. Reorder them at your peril.

Interviewer Tips

Practical advice for running interviews

The most important quality in a person you hire is integrity. If they don't have that, you actually want them to be dumb and lazy, because the smart and energetic ones without integrity will destroy you.

Hire people you'd be comfortable giving total autonomy to. If you can't trust someone to run their area without oversight, either you have the wrong person or you have a trust problem. Either way, the relationship won't work.

Look for a 20-year track record, not a 20-minute interview performance. The best predictor of how someone will behave in the future is how they've behaved over decades, not how they present in a conference room.

Frequently Asked: Warren Buffett on Hiring

Interview questions Warren Buffett is known for asking candidates.

If you could only pick one quality in a business partner, what would it be and why?+

Buffett uses this to understand how people prioritize character versus capability.

Tell me about a time you could have cut a corner and no one would have known. What did you do?+

Directly tests integrity — the quality Buffett considers non-negotiable.

Who do you admire most and why?+

Buffett believes the people we admire reveal our true values more than anything we say about ourselves.

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