Where would Warren Buffett get a job today?

As the Hyperion Global Growth Companies Fund marks its 11th anniversary in June 2025, the milestone arrives at a time of generational change in the investment world. Just weeks earlier, Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, announced his retirement, closing a chapter on a career that defined value investing for more than half a century. 

Buffett’s legacy is built on his ability to identify and hold high-quality industrial and consumer businesses with strong moats, a strategy that delivered extraordinary long-term returns. Yet, as the economic landscape has evolved, so too have the characteristics of the world’s most successful companies—and the investors best positioned to identify them.

Buffett’s approach was forged in an era when industrials, consumer staples, and financials dominated the market. His greatest successes came from companies like Coca-Cola, American Express, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad — businesses with tangible assets, scale advantages, and predictable cash flows.

However, the drivers of economic value have shifted dramatically in the past two decades. Today, the most valuable and fastest-growing companies are often capital-light, technology-driven, and global in reach. Mark Arnold and Jason Orthman of Hyperion have adapted Buffett’s foundational principles — long-term focus, business-owner mindset, and rigorous research — to this new reality. 

The Hyperion Global Growth Companies Fund (ASX: HYGG) seeks out innovative, high-quality businesses benefiting from secular trends like digital transformation and globalisation. Its portfolio construction reflects a willingness to invest in companies with scalable models and intangible assets, such as intellectual property and network effects, that are increasingly central to modern wealth creation.

This evolution is reflected in HYGG’s performance. Over its first eleven years, the Hyperion Global Growth Companies Fund (ASX: HYGG) has delivered an total return of 652.7%, compared to 268.6% for the MSCI World Accumulation Index (AUD). $10,000 invested in HYGG at inception is worth $75,270 today.

This level of outperformance is extremely rare amongst global equity managers and highlights that skilled, active investors have the ability to generate considerable excess returns over the long-run. As investors in managed funds, the key is to identify the exceptional investment managers.

The question naturally arises: If Warren Buffett were starting his career today, would he be a Hyperion investor? While Buffett’s early focus was on industrial and consumer businesses, he has shown a willingness to adapt — most notably with a significant investment in Apple, now nearly half of Berkshire’s portfolio. Buffett has acknowledged that “growth and value are joined at the hip,” and in today’s environment, the most enduring moats are often built on data, platforms, and innovation rather than factories or railroads.

Hyperion’s investment philosophy is designed for this new era. The team’s research-intensive approach, long-term holding periods, low-turnover, and focus on structural growth companies closely align with the investment principles that made Buffett successful, but are tailored to capital-light, innovative businesses that define the 21st-century global economy. Hyperion’s deep focus on high quality business franchises and earnings sustainability further enhances its ability to identify companies with lasting competitive advantages.

Another of Hyperion’s key differences in a world of ever shortening investment time horizons is the aggregate patience of its fund managers. The team are genuinely investing for the long-term, in undervalued firms run by management teams who may be making decisions, the fruits of which may not be apparent for several years to come.

As Buffett heads into retirement, Hyperion’s 11-year track record demonstrates how foundational investment principles — a long-term focus, quality, and valuation discipline — can be successfully adapted to a new era. Where Buffett’s legacy was built on industrial and consumer giants, Hyperion has shown that the future belongs to capital-light, innovative businesses capable of compounding value in a digital, globalised economy. 

If Buffett were beginning his career in 2025, there’s every reason to believe he would recognise a kindred spirit in Hyperion’s investment philosophy — and might well have sent his résumé to Mark and Jason in hopes of joining their team.