Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil is America’s largest publicly traded oil and gas company, and the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. One of the world’s biggest companies by revenue, Exxon Mobil uncharacteristically struggled in 2020, including posting its first quarterly losses in more than three decades in a year in which oil prices plunged to all-time lows and demand for gas and oil dropped tremendously because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company has faced mounting criticism over the years from environmental activists for its history of lobbying for climate change denial. In April 2021, Exxon Mobil (along with two other major oil companies) was sued by New York City for allegedly running deceptive ads claiming their products are “cleaner” and “emissions-reducing” while failing to disclose their harmful effects on the climate.