Berkshire vs Nvidia: Which Would Have Gained More Over 15 Years?

Berkshire Hathaway and Nvidia took vastly different paths over the past 15 years. Berkshire generated value through a broad mix of businesses and investments, while Nvidia grew from a graphics chipmaker into a major supplier of technology for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).

A $2,000 stake in either company would have produced significant gains, but one delivered a much larger return.

Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares closed at $74.01 on August 3, 2011. An initial investment of $2,000 would have purchased approximately 27 shares, excluding fractional shares. Using the August 3, 2026 closing price of $513.14, your initial investment would have grown to $13,855 today.

Nvidia closed at $0.34 per share on August 3, 2011. An initial investment of $2,000 would have bought you roughly 5,882 shares. This estimate adjusts for splits, dividends or capital gains distributions, and excludes fractional shares. Using Nvidia’s August 3, 2026 closing price of $200.75, that position would be worth about $1.181 million.

Nvidia delivered the higher return over this 15-year period, but that does not mean concentrated technology investing is a good fit for every portfolio. Berkshire compounded wealth through a diversified mix of businesses and long-term investments. Nvidia followed a faster, more concentrated growth path as demand for its GPUs expanded from gaming into data centers and AI infrastructure.