Abel goes his own way with new Berkshire investments, including billions for AI

(This is the Warren Buffett Watch newsletter, news and analysis on all things Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. You can sign up here to receive it every Friday evening in your inbox.) ABEL GOES HIS OWN WAY WITH NEW INVESTMENTS IN HOME BUILDING ... AND AI Buffett praises new CEO for 'fast' and 'smooth' acquisition Warren Buffett tells CNBC's Becky Quick new Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel has "launched" with his first major deal , the $6.8 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison Home , a residential homebuilder and developer with operations in 12 states. On Monday's "Squawk Box," Becky quoted Buffett from a phone conversation the day before when the deal was announced: "Greg did this faster than I could have done it, smoother than I could have done it, and I never talked to the CEO. "He has launched." Becky noted that when Buffett wanted to do a deal, he would move quickly, and "this is basically what Greg has picked up and done, too." She reports Abel went to Arizona and spent around five hours with Taylor Morrison CEO Sheryl Palmer, but when he came back, he did not think he had a deal. Then, a few days later, Palmer called to say the price was fair and her board was ready to proceed. Becky says Abel spoke with Buffett and Berkshire lead director Sue Decker but didn't tell the rest of the board until after the deal had been completed. "That's kind of the Berkshire way, to try and move quickly on these things," she added. …