BUSINESS

Exxon Mobil Corporation was incorporated in the State of New Jersey in 1882. Divisions and affiliated companies of ExxonMobil operate or market products in the United States and most other countries of the world. Their principal business involves exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas and manufacture, trade, transport and sale of crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals and a wide variety of specialty products. Affiliates of ExxonMobil conduct extensive research programs in support of these businesses.

Exxon Mobil Corporation has several divisions and hundreds of affiliates, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil or XTO. For convenience and simplicity, in this report the termsExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil and XTO, as well as terms like Corporation, Company, our, we and its, are sometimes used as abbreviated references to specific affiliates or groups of affiliates. The precise meaning depends on the context in question.

The energy and petrochemical industries are highly competitive, both within the industries and also with other industries in supplying the energy, fuel and chemical needs of industrial and individual consumers. The Corporation competes with other firms in the sale or purchase of needed goods and services in many national and international markets and employs all methods of competition which are lawful and appropriate for such purposes.

Operating data and industry segment information for the Corporation are contained in the Financial Section of this report under the following: "Note 18: Disclosures about Segments and Related Information" and "Operating Information". Information on oil and gas reserves is contained in the "Oil and Gas Reserves" part of the "Supplemental Information on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities" portion of the Financial Section of this report.

ExxonMobil has a long-standing commitment to the development of proprietary technology. We have a wide array of research programs designed to meet the needs identified in each of our business segments. ExxonMobil held nearly 9 thousand active patents worldwide at the end of 2020. For technology licensed to third parties, revenues totaled approximately $130 million in 2020. Although technology is an important contributor to the overall operations and results of our Company, the profitability of each business segment is not dependent on any individual patent, trade secret, trademark, license, franchise or concession.

ExxonMobil operates in a highly complex, competitive and changing global energy business environment where decisions and risks play out over time horizons that are often decades in length. This long-term orientation underpins the Corporation's philosophy on talent development.

Talent development begins with recruiting exceptional candidates and continues with individually planned experiences and training designed to facilitate broad development and a deep understanding of our business across the business cycle. Our career-oriented approach to talent development results in strong retention and an average length of service of 30 years for our career employees. Compensation, benefits and workplace programs support the Corporation's talent management approach, and are designed to attract and retain employees for a career through compensation that is market competitive, long-term oriented, and highly differentiated by individual performance.

Sixty percent of our global employee workforce is from outside the U.S., and over the past decade 39 percent of our global hires for management, professional and technical positions were female and 31 percent of our U.S. hires for management, professional and technical positions were minorities. With over 160 nationalities represented in the Company, we encourage and respect diversity of thought, ideas and perspective from our workforce. We consider and monitor diversity through all stages of employment, including recruitment, training and development of our employees. We also work closely with the communities where we operate to identify and invest in initiatives that help support local needs, including local talent and skill development.

The number of regular employees was 72 thousand, 75 thousand, and 71 thousand at years ended 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively. Regular employees are defined as active executive, management, professional, technical and wage employees who work full time or part time for the Corporation and are covered by the Corporation's benefit plans and programs.

As discussed in item 1A. Risk Factors in this report, compliance with existing and potential future government regulations, including taxes, environmental regulations, and other government regulations and policies that directly or indirectly affect the production and sale of our products, may have material effects on the capital expenditures, earnings, and competitive position of ExxonMobil. With respect to the environment, throughout ExxonMobil's businesses, new and ongoing measures are taken to prevent and minimize the impact of our operations on air, water and ground, including, but not limited to, compliance with environmental regulations. These include a significant investment in refining infrastructure and technology to manufacture clean fuels, as well as projects to monitor and reduce nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and greenhouse gas emissions, and expenditures for asset retirement obligations. Using definitions and guidelines established by the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil's 2020 worldwide environmental expenditures for all such preventative and remediation steps, including ExxonMobil's share of equity company expenditures, were $4.5 billion, of which $3.4 billion were included in expenses with the remainder in capital expenditures. The total cost for such activities is expected to increase to approximately $4.9 billion in 2021 and 2022. Capital expenditures are expected to account for approximately 25 percent of the total.

Information concerning the source and availability of raw materials used in the Corporation's business, the extent of seasonality in the business, the possibility of renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of governments and risks attendant to foreign operations may be found in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" and "Item 2. Properties" in this report.

ExxonMobil maintains a website at exxonmobil.com. Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are made available through our website as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file or furnish the reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Also available on the Corporation's website are the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, and additional policies as well as the charters of the audit, compensation, and other committees of the Board of Directors. Information on our website is not incorporated into this report.

The SEC maintains an internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS