[chrisan]

How is the lesson lost?

Don't you own the same amount after the split?

Isn't the total value of compounding the same after x year?

I feel like I am either missing something big or Buffett just has one of those "I'm gonna do it my way b/c" things here.

And since I am a fool with finance I must be missing something big :)

[adamhp]

"Unsophisticated" investors see the big number and the price history (which is much simpler without splits) and see the power of compounding plainly. There's not much more to it than that.