Contingencies and Commitments	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies and Commitments	(26) Contingencies and Commitments We are parties in a variety of legal actions that routinely arise out of the normal course of business, including legal actions seeking to establish liability directly through insurance contracts or indirectly through reinsurance contracts issued by Berkshire subsidiaries. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. We do not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Berkshire and certain of its subsidiaries are also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines and penalties. We currently believe that any liability that may arise as a result of other pending legal actions will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations. Our subsidiaries regularly make commitments in the ordinary course of business for the future purchase of goods and services used in their businesses, which are not yet reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements. The most significant of our long-term commitments relate to our railroad, utilities and energy businesses, our shared aircraft ownership and leasing business and certain raw materials purchase commitments. As of December 31, 2022, estimated future payments under those arrangements were as follows: $12 billion in 2023, $5 billion in 2024, $3 billion in 2025, $2 billion in 2026, $2 billion in 2027 and $18 billion after 2027. Since October 2017, we have owned a 38.6% interest in Pilot, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pilot is the largest operator of travel centers in North America (primarily under the names Pilot or Flying J) with more than 650 travel center locations across 44 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces. Pilot also has over 150 retail locations in the U.S. and Canada where it sells diesel fuel through various arrangements with third party travel centers. Through December 31, 2022, we accounted for our investment in Pilot under the equity method and the carrying value of our investment was $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2022. On January 31, 2023, we acquired an additional 41.4% interest for approximately $8.2 billion. This amount is based on a contractual agreement that is dependent on Pilot’s earnings for 2022 and its net debt at the end of 2022, and is subject to post-closing adjustments following the completion of Pilot’s independent public accountant’s audit of its 2022 financial statements. We obtained control of Pilot for financial reporting purposes on January 31, 2023 and, consequently, we will discontinue the use of the equity method and include Pilot’s financial statements in our Consolidated Financial Statements at that date. In applying the acquisition method of accounting, we are required to remeasure our previously held 38.6% interest in Pilot to fair value as of January 31, 2023. The excess of the fair value of that interest over the carrying value under the equity method will be recorded as a remeasurement gain. Given the proximity of the acquisition date of the additional Pilot interest to the date these Consolidated Financial Statements are issued, it was impracticable to provide an initial estimate of the fair values of identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed and residual goodwill or proforma information. We expect to provide such disclosures in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning with our interim report for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2023. We may be obligated to acquire certain noncontrolling interests in less-than-wholly-owned subsidiaries in the future, pursuant to the terms of agreements with the noncontrolling shareholders for cash or other assets. The timing and the amount of any future payments that might be required to such noncontrolling shareholders are contingent on future actions of the noncontrolling owners and the value of the interest being acquired. In June 2022, BHE acquired the BHE common stock held by Gregory Abel, Berkshire’s Vice Chairman - non-insurance operations, for $870 million. The purchase was pursuant to the terms of a shareholder agreement between Berkshire, BHE and BHE’s noncontrolling shareholders. Berkshire recorded a charge of $362 million to capital in excess of par value for the excess of the consideration paid over the carrying value of the acquired noncontrolling interest.

Contingencies and Commitments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

(26)

Contingencies and Commitments

We are parties in a variety of legal actions that routinely arise out of the normal course of business, including legal actions seeking to establish liability directly through insurance contracts or indirectly through reinsurance contracts issued by Berkshire subsidiaries. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. We do not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Berkshire and certain of its subsidiaries are also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines and penalties. We currently believe that any liability that may arise as a result of other pending legal actions will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

Our subsidiaries regularly make commitments in the ordinary course of business for the future purchase of goods and services used in their businesses, which are not yet reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements. The most significant of our long-term commitments relate to our railroad, utilities and energy businesses, our shared aircraft ownership and leasing business and certain raw materials purchase commitments. As of December 31, 2022, estimated future payments under those arrangements were as follows: $12 billion in 2023, $5 billion in 2024, $3 billion in 2025, $2 billion in 2026, $2 billion in 2027 and $18 billion after 2027.

Since October 2017, we have owned a 38.6% interest in Pilot, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pilot is the largest operator of travel centers in North America (primarily under the names Pilot or Flying J) with more than 650 travel center locations across 44 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces. Pilot also has over 150 retail locations in the U.S. and Canada where it sells diesel fuel through various arrangements with third party travel centers. Through December 31, 2022, we accounted for our investment in Pilot under the equity method and the carrying value of our investment was $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2022. On January 31, 2023, we acquired an additional 41.4% interest for approximately $8.2 billion. This amount is based on a contractual agreement that is dependent on Pilot’s earnings for 2022 and its net debt at the end of 2022, and is subject to post-closing adjustments following the completion of Pilot’s independent public accountant’s audit of its 2022 financial statements. We obtained control of Pilot for financial reporting purposes on January 31, 2023 and, consequently, we will discontinue the use of the equity method and include Pilot’s financial statements in our Consolidated Financial Statements at that date.

In applying the acquisition method of accounting, we are required to remeasure our previously held 38.6% interest in Pilot to fair value as of January 31, 2023. The excess of the fair value of that interest over the carrying value under the equity method will be recorded as a remeasurement gain.

Given the proximity of the acquisition date of the additional Pilot interest to the date these Consolidated Financial Statements are issued, it was impracticable to provide an initial estimate of the fair values of identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed and residual goodwill or proforma information. We expect to provide such disclosures in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning with our interim report for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2023.

We may be obligated to acquire certain noncontrolling interests in less-than-wholly-owned subsidiaries in the future, pursuant to the terms of agreements with the noncontrolling shareholders for cash or other assets. The timing and the amount of any future payments that might be required to such noncontrolling shareholders are contingent on future actions of the noncontrolling owners and the value of the interest being acquired.

In June 2022, BHE acquired the BHE common stock held by Gregory Abel, Berkshire’s Vice Chairman - non-insurance operations, for $870 million. The purchase was pursuant to the terms of a shareholder agreement between Berkshire, BHE and BHE’s noncontrolling shareholders. Berkshire recorded a charge of $362 million to capital in excess of par value for the excess of the consideration paid over the carrying value of the acquired noncontrolling interest.