Online bidding for a private lunch with chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, is set to come to a close on Friday night. And some believe it could surpass last year’s winning bid of $2.6 million.

All the proceeds of the auction go to San Francisco’s Glide Foundation, which provides services to the poor and homeless.

Buffet will spend several hours discussing whatever it is the winner would like to talk about, traditionally at New York’s Smith and Wollensky steak house. The only topics the billionaire won’t touch are potential future investments.

Last year’s auction set a new record for the most expensive charity item ever sold on eBay.

The annual auction is a huge revenue generator at Glide, which operates on a $17 million annual budget. The charity estimates that Buffett has raised nearly $9 million over the past 12 years through auctioned lunches.

Buffett’s late first wife, Susan, introduced him to Glide’s founder, the Reverend Cecil Williams.

Bidding ends on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: Mark Hirschey, via Wikimedia Commons

• Tag: Berkshire Hathaway, Charity Auction, eBay, Glide Foundation, lunch, Warren Buffett