The Incredible Shrinking Shareholders’ Meeting

Real Clear Markets published my op-ed today titled “The Incredible Shrinking Shareholders’ Meeting.” It begins:

On May 6, during my remarks in favor of a shareholder proposal at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, my microphone was cut and I was arrested. The charge?  Criminal trespass – even though I had meeting credentials, my name was on the agenda, and my organization’s resolution for an independent Chairman was in the proxy. As far as I know, the arrest of a shareholder during a proposal presentation had never before occurred at the annual meeting of a public company in the United States.

The charge was dropped two weeks later.

While citing the reputational risk to the company posed by Warren Buffett holding both the Chairman and CEO posts, and his close personal identification with Bill Gates, I uttered the name of Jeffrey Epstein, touching the third rail of billionaire relationships. I had never before been arrested but maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Increasingly, public companies are seeking to control and limit what happens at their annual meetings.

At least the Berkshire meeting was in person. 

Click here to read the rest on Real Clear Markets.