"as the B shares have always been tied to being worth 1/1,500th of a Class A share." I think the A to B ratio was changed twice. Don't have the energy to research it now.
"So in 1996, chief executive officer (CEO) Warren Buffett and the board responded by issuing 517,500 shares of Class B shares. This allowed anyone interested to invest in the company for 1/30th the price (and equity) of a Class A share of stock. "
A 50-to-1 stock split in 2010 sent the ratio to 1/1,500th, which means each share of a Class A common stock was convertible at any time to 1,500 shares of Class B common stock.
"Class B shares carried correspondingly lower voting rights as well (of the voting rights of a Class A share 1/200th of the per-share voting rights. later changed to 1/10,000th) and Buffett marketed Class B shares as a long-term investment and as an open-ended offering, so as to prevent volatility as a result of supply concerns.
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