Warren Buffett’s annual charity auction raised $2.17 million, rebounding from a five-year low.
Singapore’s Andy Chua won the right to dine with the world’s third-richest man and bring as many as seven friends. He won the 15th iteration of the week-long event with a single bid, according to a page on eBay’s website.
Buffett, 83, has raised about $17.8 million with the auction for San Francisco’s Glide Foundation, which provides services for the poor. The event draws Buffett’s admirers because they want to spend time with a historic figure, said Mohnish Pabrai, who was part of 2007’s winning group.
“There’s a very simple, acceptable way to bribe him to a meal,” Pabrai said after last night’s auction was concluded.
No other details about Chua were immediately available.
“That’s a lot of money,” Glide founder the Rev. Cecil Williams, 84, said about Chua’s offer. “We’re happy, very happy.” Glide has an annual budget of about $17 million.