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Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Diversified Holding Company / Financial ServicesFounded 1839
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Berkshire Hathaway: CEO History

3 leaders · 1955 to present

Who is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway?

Greg Abel is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Warren Buffett, from 1965.

Current CEO
Greg Abel (since 2026)
First CEO
Warren Buffett (1965)
Leaders documented
3
Founded
1839
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Greg AbelPresident and Chief Executive Officer2026Present< 1
Warren BuffettChairman and Chief Executive Officer1965202560
Seabury StantonPresident1955196510
Who was CEO of Berkshire Hathaway before Greg Abel?
Warren Buffett was CEO of Berkshire Hathaway from 1965 to 2025, before Greg Abel took over in 2026.

Company Overview

Berkshire Hathaway does not make a single product under its own name. It owns insurers (GEICO, General Re, National Indemnity, Alleghany), the BNSF railroad, Berkshire Hathaway Energy's regulated utilities and pipelines, manufacturers such as Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Marmon and OxyChem, distributors such as McLane and Pilot, and consumer businesses such as See's Candies and Dairy Queen. On top of that sits an equity portfolio worth $297.8 billion at the end of 2025, whose five largest positions, American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and Chevron, accounted for 65% of its value. About 387,800 people worked for Berkshire's businesses at the end of 2025, roughly 80% of them in the United States. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The multinational conglomerate surprisingly began in Valley Falls, Rhode Island as a simple textile manufacturing company before Warren Buffett took control, completely transforming it into the ultimate global holding company.

Greg Abel

President and Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

0 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Agreed the $9.7 billion purchase of OxyChem from Occidental, completed January 2, 2026; kept the decentralized operating model and the policy of no dividends; set out Berkshire's culture and capital allocation principles in writing for employees and shareholders.

Legacy

Abel became President and CEO on January 1, 2026 after the board approved the succession in May 2025. He joined what became Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 1992, ran it as chairman and CEO, and in January 2018 was elected a director and named Vice Chairman for non-insurance operations. In his first shareholder letter he reported 2025 operating earnings of $44.5 billion, insurance float of $176 billion, cash and Treasury holdings above $370 billion, and the acquisitions of OxyChem and Bell Laboratories.

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Warren Buffett

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1965 – 2025

60 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Redirected textile cash into insurance in 1967; refused to pay a dividend after 1967 and compounded retained earnings; concentrated the equity portfolio in a handful of holdings; named Abel as successor and completed the handover in 2026.

Legacy

Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965 and turned a shrinking textile maker into a holding company built on insurance float. He bought National Indemnity for $8.6 million in 1967, closed the textile operation in 1985, acquired GEICO outright in 1996 and General Re in 1998, bought BNSF in 2010 and Precision Castparts in 2016, and built an equity portfolio worth $297.8 billion at the end of 2025. He handed the chief executive role to Greg Abel on January 1, 2026, and on September 18, 2026 became Chairman Emeritus while remaining a director.

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Seabury Stanton

President

1955 – 1965

10 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Merged Hathaway Manufacturing with Berkshire Fine Spinning in 1955; funded textile modernization in a shrinking industry; made the 1964 tender offer that cost him control of the company.

Legacy

Stanton ran Hathaway Manufacturing from the 1930s and led the 1955 merger with Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates that created Berkshire Hathaway Inc. He closed plants and used liquidation proceeds to buy back stock as New England textiles declined. In May 1964 he asked Buffett at what price Buffett Partnership would sell its shares, agreed to $11.50, then mailed a tender offer of $11.375. Buffett refused to tender, bought control instead, and Stanton left the company in 1965.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

Berkshire's challenges are the scale of capital it must place, catastrophe and reserve risk in insurance, regulatory and wildfire exposure in energy, the earnings swings caused by marking its equity portfolio to market, and keeping the decentralized culture intact after the 2026 leadership change.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO and Leadership FAQ

How did Warren Buffett take control of Berkshire Hathaway?

Buffett Partnership bought its first shares in December 1962. After president Seabury Stanton agreed verbally to pay $11.50 a share in 1964 and then tendered at $11.375, Buffett bought control instead, taking it in May 1965. Stanton left and Buffett installed Ken Chace, a long-time employee, as president to run the textile operation.

Who ran Berkshire Hathaway before Warren Buffett?

Seabury Stanton. He led Hathaway Manufacturing from the 1930s, drove the 1955 merger with Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates that created Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and ran the company until Buffett took control in 1965.

Who is Greg Abel and what does he run?

Abel is Berkshire's President and Chief Executive Officer, in post since January 1, 2026. He joined what became Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 1992 and was its chairman and CEO, then was elected a Berkshire director in January 2018 and made Vice Chairman for all non-insurance operations.

Who is Ajit Jain?

Jain joined the Berkshire Hathaway insurance group in 1986, built its reinsurance operations from National Indemnity, and was elected a director in January 2018 and named Vice Chairman for insurance operations. He continues to oversee underwriting.

Who are Todd Combs and Ted Weschler?

They are Berkshire's investment managers, hired in 2010 and 2011, and they manage portions of the equity portfolio alongside the chief executive. Combs was also put in charge of GEICO's operations during its 2020s turnaround.

Why did Berkshire close its textile mills in 1985?

Because the economics did not work. Southern and overseas producers held a permanent cost advantage, and every efficiency Berkshire could buy was available to them too. Buffett decided in July 1985 to close the operation, finished the shutdown by year end, and wrote that he had finally thrown in the towel.

What was Warren Buffett paid as chief executive?

His salary was $100,000 a year for decades, with no options or bonus, and his wealth came from his Berkshire shareholding, which he has been giving away to charity. Berkshire's board set Greg Abel's salary at $25 million for 2026, after the $21 million he was paid as vice chairman in 2024.

How is Berkshire's board structured after the 2026 changes?

Howard G. Buffett is chairman, Warren Buffett is Chairman Emeritus and remains a director, Susan Decker is lead independent director and Greg Abel is CEO and a director. Directors are expected to hold Berkshire stock themselves rather than receive option grants.

Who is taking over Berkshire Hathaway?

Warren Buffett has served as CEO for nearly 60 years, but has officially designated Greg Abel, the head of Berkshire's massive non-insurance operations, as his eventual successor.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.