What Berkshire Hathaway does

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a publicly traded U.S. conglomerate holding company (NYSE: BRK.A / BRK.B) headquartered at 3555 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska, operating more than 60 wholly-owned subsidiaries through a deliberately decentralized structure in which subsidiary CEOs retain operating autonomy while the corporate parent oversees capital allocation. The company is anchored by a global property/casualty insurance and reinsurance franchise — GEICO (personal auto), General Re (reinsurance), Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group (super-cat and large single-risk), National Indemnity, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, MLMIC, MedPro, GUARD, biBERK, and BoatU.S. — which collectively generate the insurance float that funds the broader enterprise. Operating businesses span transportation (BNSF Railway, NetJets, FlightSafety), regulated and merchant energy (Berkshire Hathaway Energy), wholesale distribution (McLane Company), aerospace and industrial manufacturing (Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Marmon, Duracell, the newly completed OxyChem acquisition), homebuilding and real estate (Clayton Homes, the announced Taylor Morrison acquisition, HomeServices of America, Acme Brick, Benjamin Moore, Johns Manville, Shaw Industries), specialty retail (See's Candies, Borsheims, Helzberg Diamonds, Ben Bridge, Nebraska Furniture Mart, RC Willey, Jordan's Furniture, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Pilot Travel Centers, Forest River, Brooks, Pampered Chef, Oriental Trading, Jazwares, International Dairy Queen), and media/information assets (WPLG Local 10, Business Wire).

The company makes money through a heterogeneous mix of revenue streams: recurring insurance premiums across personal and commercial lines, contract-based rail freight and intermodal revenue (BNSF), regulated rate-based utility revenue (BHE), B2B industrial and aerospace product sales (Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Duracell, Marmon, IPS, TTI, CTB), one-time consumer purchases via specialty retail storefronts and e-commerce, fractional jet ownership plus occupied-hour fees (NetJets), and investment income from a ~$381 billion public-equity portfolio (restructured to roughly 26 holdings in Q1 2026) plus dividends and interest funded by insurance float and retained earnings. Pricing is decentralized and largely not publicly disclosed: GEICO premiums are risk-based and quoted online, NetJets is a hybrid of fractional share acquisition plus hourly usage fees, BNSF rail revenue is contract-based, and BHE is rate-regulated. GTM motion spans direct-to-consumer (GEICO direct, retail storefronts, NetJets fractional sales, Clayton model centers), enterprise field sales (BNSF, BHE, General Re, BHSI), inside sales (GEICO phone agents, Clayton), and broker/MGA channels (BHSI, General Re).

Following Warren Buffett's December 31, 2025 departure as CEO, Greg Abel assumed the CEO role effective January 1, 2026, and has aggressively deployed capital with the completed $9.7B OxyChem acquisition (January 2026), the announced $8.5B Taylor Morrison acquisition (May 2026), a $10B Alphabet private placement, a 2.5% Tokio Marine stake for $1.8B, and a restructured Q1 2026 13F equity portfolio. Berkshire holds $397-400 billion in cash and U.S. Treasury reserves, a public market capitalization exceeding $1 trillion, and reported Q1 2026 operating earnings of $11.35 billion, up approximately 18% year-over-year.

Name

Berkshire Hathaway

Legal name

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Website

https://berkshirehathaway.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Berkshire Hathaway is a publicly traded U.S. conglomerate (NYSE: BRK.A/BRK.B) operating 60+ wholly-owned subsidiaries across insurance, rail, energy, manufacturing, retail, and services, funded by insurance float and a ~$381B equity portfolio, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conglomerate Insurance and Industrial Holdings

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799), Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Taft-Hartley / Union Multiemployer Group Health Plans (FSAIAFAG), Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIA) (FSAIACAB), Core Real Estate (Stabilized/Core-Plus) (FSAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Conglomerate holding company
• Property casualty insurance
• Reinsurance underwriting
• Freight railroad services
• Regulated energy utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: Premiums collected across personal auto (GEICO), property/casualty reinsurance (General Re), specialty commercial (Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance), and primary insurance (Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, GEICO, etc.). Recurring, with renewals and policy life cycles driving retention.
2. Rail Freight Services: BNSF Railway moves freight across North America under multi-year shipper contracts and spot/intermodal pricing; revenue is volume- and contract-based, primarily recurring enterprise relationships.
3. Energy Services: Berkshire Hathaway Energy generates, transmits, and distributes electricity and natural gas through regulated utilities (e.g., PacifiCorp, MidAmerican Energy) and merchant generation; recurring rate-based revenue plus pipeline and renewable energy sales.
4. Retail Merchandise Sales: Specialty retail subsidiaries (See's Candies, Borsheims, Helzberg Diamonds, Nebraska Furniture Mart, R.C. Willey, Pilot Flying J) generate one-time consumer purchase revenue from physical stores and e-commerce.
5. Investment Income from Insurance Float and Equity Portfolio: Income from Berkshire's investment portfolio of public equities, U.S. Treasury bills, and other securities funded by insurance float and retained earnings; includes dividends, interest, and realized/unrealized gains.
6. Manufacturing and Industrial Products: Industrial and aerospace manufacturing sales from subsidiaries such as Precision Castparts (aerospace components), Marmon (industrial), Lubrizol (chemicals), and Kiewit (construction); revenue is B2B product sales under contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a diversified holding company that owns and operates more than 60 wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning property/casualty insurance and reinsurance, freight rail transportation, regulated energy utilities, specialty manufacturing, specialty retail, and private aviation. It also maintains a large public-equity investment portfolio funded primarily by insurance float, while leaving operating decisions to decentralized subsidiary management under corporate capital allocation oversight.

Product overview

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a diversified holding company operating as a federation of largely autonomous wholly-owned subsidiaries and a large public-equity investment portfolio, rather than a single unified product or software platform. Its offering centers on (1) a global property/casualty insurance and reinsurance franchise — anchored by GEICO Auto Insurance, the Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group led historically by Ajit Jain, General Re, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, National Indemnity, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Central States Indemnity, MedPro Group, MLMIC, GUARD, USLI, biBERK, BoatU.S., Berkshire Hathaway Direct (THREE), Gateway Underwriters Agency, and Alleghany Corporation — that generates the insurance float funding the enterprise; (2) a diversified industrial, transportation, energy and consumer-products portfolio including BNSF Railway, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, McLane Company, NetJets, FlightSafety, Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Duracell, the newly completed OxyChem acquisition, and the announced Taylor Morrison Home Corporation acquisition integrated with Clayton Homes and HomeServices of America; (3) specialty manufacturing and building-products subsidiaries such as Acme Brick, Benjamin Moore, Johns Manville, Shaw Industries, Marmon Holdings, MiTek, TTI, IPS, CTB, LSPI, IMC, and Bell Laboratories; (4) consumer brands spanning See's Candies, Borsheims, Helzberg Diamonds, Ben Bridge Jeweler, Richline Group, Nebraska Furniture Mart, RC Willey, Jordan's Furniture, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Pilot Travel Centers, Forest River, Brooks Running, Pampered Chef, Oriental Trading, Jazwares, and International Dairy Queen; (5) media and information assets including WPLG Local 10 and Business Wire; (6) the Scott Fetzer Companies group (with World Book and other units); and (7) a large 13F-disclosed public-equity portfolio restructured in Q1 2026 by new CEO Greg Abel around Apple, American Express, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and the recently enlarged Alphabet position. Investor communications are delivered through the corporate site, Warren Buffett's shareholder letters archive, and Greg Abel's new shareholder letters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GEICO: Auto insurance subsidiary
• BNSF
• NetJets
• Acme Brick
• OxyChem
• Taylor Morrison
• Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Products and services

• GEICO Auto Insurance Direct-to-consumer private passenger auto insurance underwriting serving individual drivers across the United States; seventh largest U.S. auto insurer and central generator of Berkshire's insurance float.
• General Reinsurance Corporation

Quantifiable outcome

• Q1 2026 operating earnings of $11.35 billion, up approximately 18% year-over-year.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor — pilot deployment of autonomous freight with berkshire's wholesale distribution subsidiary mclane company., minor — local broadcast and promotional partnership. and major — large-line reinsurance co-participation..

• Aurora Innovationminor — pilot deployment of autonomous freight with berkshire's wholesale distribution subsidiary mclane company.Strategic or Co-development PartnerAurora Innovation partnered with McLane Company, Berkshire Hathaway's wholesale distribution subsidiary, on autonomous freight deployment. Aurora's self-driving Class 8 trucks are integrated into McLane's long-haul distribution routes as a commercial pilot for autonomous trucking.
• Miami Heatminor — local broadcast and promotional partnership.GTM or Marketing PartnerWPLG Local 10, the Miami television station owned by Berkshire Hathaway, partnered with the Miami Heat NBA franchise, providing local broadcast coverage and promotional exposure.
• Chubbmajor — large-line reinsurance co-participation.Strategic or Co-development PartnerChubb and Berkshire Hathaway's reinsurance operations co-participate in a maritime reinsurance plan and are part of a Lloyd's of London consortium, jointly underwriting large property and marine risks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Loews Corporation: Loews is a U.S. holding company operating a similar decentralized model with an insurance subsidiary (CNA Financial), energy (Boardwalk Pipelines), hospitality (Loews Hotels), and manufacturing. Most direct comparable to Berkshire's structure among U.S. peers, though at a much smaller scale.
• Markel Corporation: Markel is an insurance-led holding company combining specialty insurance with operating businesses across consumer, industrial, and services, run on long-duration, owner-oriented principles similar to Berkshire's. Highly comparable in business philosophy and capital allocation style.
• Fairfax Financial Holdings: Canadian insurance and investment conglomerate with reinsurance, primary insurance, and diversified operating holdings, run by Prem Watsa with a value-investing, long-duration float-driven model analogous to Berkshire's. Closest international peer in insurance-led conglomerate strategy.
• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Japanese sogo shosha with diversified holdings across trading, infrastructure, energy, chemicals, and consumer businesses—structurally the closest international comparable to Berkshire's diversified holding model. Comparable scale, multi-decade horizon, and capital-allocation discipline.
• Itochu Corporation: Another major Japanese trading conglomerate with diversified holdings in textiles, machinery, energy, food, and ICT. Comparable diversified-holding business model to Berkshire, though organized around trading flows rather than insurance float.
• Mitsubishi Corporation: One of Japan's largest sogo shosha, with energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, and consumer-food holdings mirroring Berkshire's breadth. Most directly comparable to Berkshire in scale, multi-decade investment horizon, and global industrial breadth.

Broad incumbents

• GE Aerospace: After GE's 2024 breakup, GE Aerospace is a large diversified industrial and aviation business, comparable to Berkshire's Precision Castparts and aviation-services holdings (FlightSafety). Overlaps in aerospace manufacturing but without insurance or float.
• Honeywell International: Large diversified industrial conglomerate with aerospace, building technologies, and performance materials businesses that overlap with Berkshire's Marmon, Lubrizol, and Precision Castparts segments. Operates as a single integrated company rather than a decentralized holding company.
• 3M Company: Large diversified industrial manufacturer with consumer, safety, healthcare, and electronics segments. Overlaps with Berkshire's industrial/chemicals subsidiaries (Lubrizol, Scott Fetzer, CTB) but operates as an integrated manufacturer, not a holding company.
• Brookfield Asset Management: Alternative asset manager with controlling stakes in infrastructure, renewable energy, real estate, and industrial operating businesses. Comparable to Berkshire Hathaway Energy's infrastructure/renewables exposure and to Berkshire's long-duration capital deployment model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BerkshireHathawayInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berkshire-hathaway

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

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M&A57 records

Investments45 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berkshire Hathaway