On our 25th anniversary … how we’ve kept pace with changing times

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4 min read

• Dec. 2, 2024

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• Exxon and Mobil merged November 30, 1999.
• From iPhones to EVs, the world's changed a lot since then.
• Our products continue to support people's evolving needs.

Article

4 min read

• Dec. 2, 2024

Do you remember 1999, the year of Exxon and Mobil's historic merger?

The internet, electric vehicles and cell phones were still novelties. The iPhone and social media boom were still a few years away. And the world's population was only 6 billion (25% less than today).

While some things from 1999 are long gone (remember Y2K fears?), ExxonMobil remains as relevant as ever.

Why? Because we've continued to help meet the world's evolving need for reliable, affordable energy and products.

Here are just a few examples:

• Electronics: We make plastics essential to smartphones, laptops and other electronics - plus must-have equipment like chargers and headsets. And don't forget: The natural gas we produce makes electricity that powers these devices, as well as critical infrastructure like data centers and cell towers. In the United States, more than 40 percent of electricity comes from natural gas - the single largest source.
• EVs: We make a range of products for electric vehicles - including lightweight plastics, lubricants and coolants - and recently announced a landmark plan to produce lithium for EV batteries.
• Energy: Global demand for energy has risen about 45 percent since 1999, due to rising global living standards and population (we're at 8 billion now). We've kept pace by investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new oil and natural gas supplies and technologies, and the production of key products like gasoline and diesel fuel.
• Emissions: Today, the world has net-zero ambitions, and so do we. We're working to make our operations less emission-intensive, and reducing methane emissions associated with our oil and gas production. And our Low Carbon Solutions business is scaling up technologies like carbon capture and storage and low-carbon hydrogen - focused on helping reduce emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industries.

Employees are key

Of course, it's our employees who made the merger a success.

One of them is actually pictured in the photo above. That's Zita Kancsár. In 1999, she was a logistics coordinator for Mobil Oil's affiliate in Hungary, and eight months pregnant with her first child.

"Look at the hard-copy wall calendar from 1999, the computer and the hard-copy files!", Zita said. "For me, that photo is a time capsule of our corporate history and my upcoming journey of becoming a mother."

Today, Zita's a communications advisor at our Global Business Center in Budapest, and her son is 25 years old (just like our merged company!).

"Reflecting on the merger of Exxon and Mobil, it's remarkable to think how far we've come in 25 years!"

Looking ahead

Today, we're focused on the next25 years.

What's ahead? More changes, for sure.

As our recently published Global Outlook shows, the world will seek to accelerate progress on emissions reductions, while also expanding access to the reliable, affordable energy needed to support modern living standards, a growing population and new technologies.

We're looking forward to the challenge.

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