Friday's Fast Five: Week of 3.3

Gucci and Goliath (Vanity Fair): For months, the fashion world has breathlessly followed Gucci's struggles to escape a takeover by Bernard Arnault, the brilliant, predatory chairman of L.V.M.H., whose empire includes Vuitton, Dior, and Veuve Clicquot. Bryan Burrough reveals every twist and turn in an epic, $8.7 billion battle between the world's pre-eminent makers of luxury goods.

China’s Tech Rainmaker Vanishes, and So Does Business Confidence (The New York Times): Bao Fan’s firm says he’s unreachable, and others in the tech sector are worried for him and fear what his disappearance says about China’s heavy hand in business.

Warren Buffett calls stock buyback critics ‘economic illiterate’ in Berkshire Hathaway annual letter(CNBC): Warren Buffett defended stock buybacks in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual letter, pushing back on those railing against the practice he believes to be beneficial to all shareholders.

Apple’s iPhone Passcode Problem: How Thieves Can Take Over in Minutes (The Wall Street Journal): iPhone thieves across the country are locking people out of their Apple accounts and draining their bank accounts—sometimes before victims even know what happened. How do they do it and how can you protect yourself?

DOJ pushes ahead with Google Maps antitrust probe (Politico): Justice Department antitrust lawyers are homing in on yet another Google target: the company’s vast mapping business. DOJ officials have been meeting with Google’s competitors and customers in recent weeks to decide who would be the best witnesses in any potential lawsuit challenging its dominant position in the market for digital maps and location information, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.