In what year did Berkshire Hathaway become a trillion-dollar company? It happened in 2024.
Berkshire Hathaway crossed a $1 trillion market capitalization on August 28, 2024, as its publicly traded shares rose above the threshold. Market capitalization means the total value investors assign to a company’s outstanding shares; it is not the same as annual revenue, profits, or total assets.
The milestone was notable because Berkshire became the first U.S. company outside the technology sector to reach that valuation. Its businesses span insurance, railroads, utilities, energy, manufacturing, retail, and investments, making it unusually diversified for a trillion-dollar public company.
The year is sometimes confused with 2023 because Berkshire’s reported total assets exceeded $1 trillion around that period. That is a balance-sheet measure, while the trivia question refers to market value. Berkshire began as a textile company and was transformed under Warren Buffett’s leadership after he gained control in 1965.