Michael O'Sullivan
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary · Berkshire Hathaway
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Berkshire Hathaway since January 2026, the first holder of a newly created general counsel role at a company that had long relied mainly on outside counsel. He was previously general counsel of Snap Inc. from 2017 and practised at Munger, Tolles & Olson for more than two decades. Berkshire Hathaway ranked No. 7 on the 2026 Fortune 500.
Last reviewed: Oct 1, 2026
Michael O’Sullivan
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Berkshire Hathaway
Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026
Executive Summary
Michael O’Sullivan is Berkshire Hathaway’s first general counsel. Berkshire created the position as part of the leadership changes around Greg Abel’s succession as chief executive, after decades of relying mainly on outside lawyers for corporate matters. O’Sullivan joined on 1 January 2026 from Snap Inc., where he had been general counsel since 2017, and before that spent more than two decades at Munger, Tolles & Olson advising companies on governance, litigation and mergers and acquisitions. Berkshire Hathaway ranked No. 7 on the 2026 Fortune 500.
Career Highlights
- Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Berkshire Hathaway since January 2026.
- General counsel of Snap Inc. from 2017.
- More than two decades at Munger, Tolles & Olson.
Professional Journey
O’Sullivan practised law at Munger, Tolles & Olson for more than two decades, advising companies on corporate governance matters, litigation and mergers and acquisitions. In 2017 he became general counsel of Snap Inc.
In December 2025 Berkshire Hathaway announced his appointment as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, a newly created position based in Omaha, effective 1 January 2026. His Section 16 filings from May 2026 give his title as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
Education
No first-party source read for this profile states his education.