Even Warren Buffett can't escape the political and social debates that have spilled over into the corporate world.

Tens of thousands of investors descended on Omaha, Nebraska, over the weekend to hear him speak about business and the economy at the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the conglomerate he's been building for five decades. But many also wanted to hear the famous investors take stances on some of the most-divisive issues of the day.

Shareholders asked the 87-year-old billionaire to weigh in on the Trump administration's trade policies, guns and gender equality. But he mostly skirted controversy, sticking with beliefs that may have surprised some attendees but ultimately won over many.