“It’s too big a deal; $25 billion is too big.” Willumstad never thought he’d hear Buffett call any prospective deal too big. “I’d have to use all my cash and can’t do anything to jeopardize Berkshire’s triple-A rating,” Buffett explained. For a moment, he alluded to the possibility of raising the money, but then acknowledged that he “didn’t want to have that kind of debt on my balance sheet.”
