For many years, Berkshire Hathaway's operations have been helped by vice presidents under Buffett's CEO umbrella. These include Abel, who is currently in charge of the wholly owned operating subsidiaries, such as the BNSF railroad and Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which generated $5 billion and $3.7 billion in earnings, respectively, in 2024. Other controlled businesses like See's Candies remain under Abel's direction but are typically run with little oversight by managers as long as profits remain positive. This structure should not change once Abel takes over as CEO.