Net Income vs. Owner's Earnings: Which one Buffett cares about more?

The provided text explains the crucial distinction between Net Income and Owner's Earnings, highlighting how the former measures accounting profit while the latter represents the true cash available to owners after operational and maintenance expenses. It clarifies that Owner's Earnings, often approximated by Free Cash Flow, provides a more accurate picture of a company's financial health and its capacity for dividends or buybacks, especially for valuation purposes. The text illustrates these concepts with examples of major tech companies, showing how factors like capital expenditures and non-cash charges create significant gaps between the two metrics, with negative gapsindicating that reported earnings may overstate actual available cash. Ultimately, it advocates for using a cash-based lens for investment analysis, aligning with approaches favored by investors like Warren Buffett.