Rubbish Check
CNBC Top News · August 15, 2026
source“Berkshire adds $17 billion to Alphabet stake”
R2/ 10
Lightly altered
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates CNBC's headline that "Berkshire adds $17 billion to Alphabet stake" a 2/10 because the figure is lifted directly from Berkshire's Q2 13F filing math and the article's own lead sentence, with no inflation or spin detected.
The Verdict
Lightly altered, bordering on base fact. The headline states the single biggest, most newsworthy line item from the filing in the outlet's own words, and the body immediately backs it with the share count, price context, and the private-placement mechanics behind it. The only "iteration" is a headline writer's choice to lead with Alphabet over the equally real story of Berkshire's continued financial-sector selling, but that's standard news judgement, not distortion.
What actually happened
Berkshire Hathaway's Q2 13F filing showed it added roughly $17 billion of Alphabet stock, the biggest addition of the quarter by far. The company also grew smaller positions in Delta, Macy's and Lennar, while continuing to cut Bank of America, Capital One and Ally Financial.
Key facts
- Berkshire added $17 billion of Alphabet shares in Q2.
- Roughly 60% of the 48.1 million shares added during the quarter were purchased by Berkshire directly from Alphabet in a $10 billion private placement sale announced by the companies in early June.
- That leaves around $7 billion of Alphabet shares bought on the open market.
- Independently, a separate source confirms the private placement was $10 billion, comprised of $5 billion in Class A Common Stock at $351.81 per share and $5 billion in Class C Capital Stock at $348.20 per share.
- Elsewhere in the same portfolio: Delta Air Lines increased 44%, or roughly $1.6 billion, and Bank of America was reduced by a modest 5.9%, cutting the value of the stake by around $1.7 billion, the biggest dollar cut of the quarter.
What to watch for
- Watch Q3's 13F for whether Berkshire keeps buying Alphabet on the open market beyond the private placement tranche, and whether the financials sell-off (BofA down 53% over eight straight quarters) continues.
- Michael Burry's public criticism of new CEO Greg Abel's cash deployment is a live subplot that could reshape how future portfolio moves get framed.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
