Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer formed in 1955 from the merger of Hathaway Manufacturing Company and Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, it transitioned into a diversified conglomerate starting in 1965 under the leadership of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger
. Today, Berkshire Hathaway owns a wide range of businesses across various sectors, including insurance (e.g., GEICO), utilities, freight rail transportation, manufacturing, and consumer products (e.g., Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen). It also holds significant minority investments in publicly traded companies such as Apple and Bank of America
. Warren Buffett, the company's chairman and CEO until recently, transformed Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling textile company into one of the largest and most successful corporations globally, with a market capitalization exceeding $1 trillion as of August 2024. The company ranks 5th on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by revenue and is among the top components of the S&P 500 index. Berkshire Hathaway is known for its high- value Class A shares, which have never split and reached prices over $700,000 per share
. The company operates as a holding company, managing a diversified portfolio of wholly owned businesses and equity investments. Its success is largely attributed to Buffett's value investing strategy, focusing on acquiring undervalued companies and allowing them to operate independently under the Berkshire umbrella
. Greg Abel has been named as Buffett's successor and currently oversees most of the company's investments
. In summary, Berkshire Hathaway is a highly diversified multinational holding company led historically by Warren Buffett, known for its broad portfolio of businesses and exceptional long-term shareholder returns
