ANNUAL REPORT · FORM 10-K 

Exxon Mobil Corp,
Fiscal Year 2024.

ExxonMobil is pursuing a dual-track strategy that simultaneously reinforces its core upstream hydrocarbon assets and invests heavily in low-carbon solutions like CCS and hydrogen. However, the company’s continued profitability is critically dependent on stable, supportive global policies that bridge the gap between its traditional fossil fuel base and the uncertain net-zero energy landscape. This operational model exposes the company to extreme systemic risks, including geopolitical instability, commodity volatility, and the fundamental challenges posed by the global energy transition.

Accession 0000034088-25-000010 4 sections analysed
  SYMBOLOGY.ONLINE l2 SYNTHESIS 

XOM · Form 10-K Analysis

ExxonMobil is pursuing a dual-track strategy, simultaneously solidifying its core, high-quality upstream hydrocarbon assets while aggressively investing in low-carbon solutions to navigate the global energy transition. This approach creates a highly profitable but fundamentally exposed position, placing the company's future success on its ability to manage extreme, systemic geopolitical, and regulatory uncertainty.

Strategic Pillars and Market Strength

The company operates a highly integrated, global energy value chain, generating revenue from crude oil, natural gas, and petrochemicals. Its immediate strategic focus is on bolstering its traditional operations, evidenced by the recent acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, which significantly strengthens its upstream inventory position in the U.S.

Beyond traditional commodities, the company is actively positioning itself for the future by developing and commercializing low-emission technologies. Key growth vectors include Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), hydrogen, and advanced materials like lithium. This effort to future-proof its revenue streams is underpinned by proprietary technology and an extensive global patent portfolio.

Elevated and Systemic Risk Profile

Despite its strategic investments, the filing highlights an operational environment characterized by extreme systemic risk. The most pervasive vulnerability is the energy transition itself, which challenges the entire business model through potential mandates, carbon taxes, and shifts toward non-hydrocarbon energy sources.

Management must contend with several interconnected risks:

  • Geopolitical and Regulatory Instability: Operating globally exposes the company to systemic threats from conflicting national regulations, sanctions, and the risk of governments using regulations as "foreign policy tools," which could severely impact profitability and operational freedom.
  • Commodity Volatility: The core business remains highly sensitive to global economic downturns and rapid fluctuations in oil and gas pricing.
  • Operational Complexity: The combination of physical risks (natural disasters), sophisticated cybersecurity threats, and the execution risk associated with massive, long-term, capital-intensive projects adds layers of operational vulnerability.

Financial and Governance Posture

From a governance standpoint, management has affirmed the effectiveness of both disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) as of year-end 2024, noting no material weaknesses. The primary noteworthy item is the exclusion of the newly acquired Pioneer subsidiary from the scope of the ICFR assessment.

In summary, while ExxonMobil demonstrates a clear commitment to operational resilience and diversification—evidenced by its dedicated Low Carbon Solutions unit and strategic acquisitions—its continued profitability is critically dependent on the successful, stable, and supportive development of global policies and markets that allow it to bridge the gap between its traditional fossil fuel revenue base and the uncertain, evolving landscape of net-zero energy.

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  DOCUMENTS 

4 filing documents, in order.

§1
Legal Proceedings
§2
Controls & Procedures
§3
Business Description
§4
Risk Factors
  symbology.online · text diffs 

Side-by-side against the prior Risk Factors.

Risk Factors

6 changes
escalated ExxonMobil's results can be adversely affected by political or regulatory developments affecting our businesses or operations.

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

Government and Political Factors ExxonMobil's results can be adversely affected by political or regulatory developments affecting our operations. Access limitations. A number of countries limit access to their oil and gas resources, including by restricting leasing or permitting activities, or may place resources off-limits from development altogether. Restrictions on production of oil and gas could increase to the extent governments view such measures as a viable approach for pursuing national and global energy and climate policies. Restrictions on foreign investment in the oil and gas sector tend to increase in times of high commodity prices or when national governments may have less need for outside sources of private capital. Many countries also restrict the import or export of certain products based on point of origin. Restrictions on doing business. ExxonMobil is subject to laws and sanctions imposed by the United States or by other jurisdictions where we do business that may prohibit ExxonMobil or its affiliates from doing business in certain countries or restrict the kind of business that may be conducted, including acquiring or divesting certain assets. Such restrictions may provide a competitive advantage to competitors who may not be subject to comparable restrictions. Lack of legal certainty. Some countries in which we do business lack well-developed legal systems, have not yet adopted or may be unable to maintain clear regulatory frameworks, or may have evolving and unharmonized standards that vary or conflict across jurisdictions. Lack of legal certainty exposes us to increased risk of adverse or unpredictable actions by government officials, and also makes it more difficult for us to enforce our contracts. In some cases, these risks can be partially offset by agreements to arbitrate disputes in an international forum, but the adequacy of this remedy may still depend on the local legal system to enforce an award. 3 Regulatory and litigation risks. Even in countries with well-developed legal systems where ExxonMobil does business, we remain exposed to changes in law or interpretation of settled law (including changes that result from international treaties and accords) and changes in policy that could adversely affect our results, such as: •increases in taxes, duties, or government royalty rates (including retroactive claims or punitive taxes on oil, gas and petrochemical operations); •price controls; •changes in environmental regulations or other laws that increase our cost of operation or compliance or reduce or delay available business opportunities (including changes in laws affecting offshore drilling operations, standards to complete decommissioning, water use, emissions, hydraulic fracturing, or production or use of new or recycled plastics, as well as laws and regulations affecting trading); •actions by policy-makers, regulators, or other actors to delay or deny necessary licenses and permits, restrict the availability of oil and gas leases or the transportation or export of our products, or otherwise require changes in the company's business or strategy that could result in reduced returns; •regulatory interpretations that exclude or disfavor our products under government policies or programs intended to support new or developing markets or technologies, or that otherwise are not technology-neutral; •adoption of regulations mandating efficiency standards, the use of alternative fuels or uncompetitive fuel components; •adoption of disclosure regulations that could create competitive disadvantages, require us to incur disproportionate costs, or increase legal risk due to a need to rely on uncertain estimates or extrapolations (such as emissions of third parties) and lack of uniform standards across jurisdictions, or by requiring us to disclose competitively sensitive commercial information or to violate the non-disclosure laws of other countries; and •government actions to cancel contracts, redenominate the official currency, renounce or default on obligations, renegotiate terms unilaterally, or expropriate assets.

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

Government and Political Factors ExxonMobil's results can be adversely affected by political or regulatory developments affecting our businesses or operations. Access limitations. A number of countries limit access to their oil and gas resources, including by restricting leasing or permitting activities, or may place resources off-limits from development altogether. Restrictions on production of oil and gas could increase to the extent governments view such measures as a viable approach for pursuing national and global energy and climate policies. Restrictions on foreign investment in the oil and gas sector tend to increase in times of high commodity prices or when national governments may have less need for outside sources of private capital. Many countries also restrict the import or export of certain products based on point of origin and such restrictions may increase during periods of escalating geopolitical or trade tensions. Restrictions on doing business. ExxonMobil is subject to laws and sanctions imposed by the United States and by other jurisdictions where we do business that may prohibit ExxonMobil or its affiliates from doing business in certain countries or with certain counterparties or restrict the kind of business that may be conducted, including acquiring and divesting certain assets or importing or exporting certain materials or products. Such restrictions may provide a competitive advantage to competitors who may not be subject to comparable restrictions. Lack of legal certainty. Some countries in which we do business lack well-developed legal systems, lack political or governmental stability, have not yet adopted or may be unable to maintain clear regulatory frameworks, or may have evolving and unharmonized standards that vary or conflict across jurisdictions. Lack of legal certainty exposes us to increased risk of adverse or unpredictable actions by government officials, may reduce our ability to comply timely or cost-effectively with evolving standards or requirements, and also makes it more difficult for us to enforce our contracts. In some cases, these risks can be partially offset by agreements to arbitrate disputes in an international forum, but the adequacy of this remedy may still depend on the local legal system to enforce an award. Regulatory and litigation risks. Even in countries with well-developed legal systems where ExxonMobil does business, we remain exposed to changes in law or interpretation of settled law, including changes that result from international treaties and accords or changes by local jurisdictions encroaching on national regulatory frameworks or global issues, and changes in policy that could adversely affect our results, such as: •increases or changes in taxes, duties, or government royalty rates, including retroactive claims, punitive taxes on oil, gas and petrochemical operations, windfall profit taxes, or global minimum taxes; •price controls; •changes in environmental regulations or other laws that penalize us for past or current production of legal and/or permitted products and operations, increase our cost of operation or compliance or reduce or delay available business opportunities, including changes in laws affecting offshore drilling operations, standards to complete decommissioning, water use, production of our products, emissions, hydraulic fracturing, or production or use of new or recycled plastics, as well as laws and regulations affecting trading, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, ProxximaTM systems, carbon materials, or lithium; •actions by policy-makers, regulators, or other actors to delay or deny necessary licenses and permits, restrict the availability of oil and gas leases or the transportation or export of our products, reduce or retract government incentives for emissions reductions, or otherwise require changes in the Company's business or strategy that could result in reduced returns; 3 •regulatory interpretations that exclude or disfavor our products under government policies or programs intended to support new or developing markets or technologies, or that otherwise are not technology-neutral; •adoption of regulations mandating efficiency standards, emission standards, the use of alternative fuels or uncompetitive fuel components; •use of regulatory or legal standards as a foreign policy tool; •unstable policies impacting new or emerging markets; •adoption of disclosure regulations that could create competitive disadvantages, require us to incur disproportionate costs, or increase legal risk due to a need to rely on uncertain estimates or extrapolations (such as emissions of third parties) and lack of uniform standards across jurisdictions, or by requiring us to disclose competitively sensitive commercial information or to violate the non-disclosure laws of other countries; and •government actions to cancel contracts, redenominate the official currency, renounce or default on obligations, renegotiate terms unilaterally, or expropriate assets.

de-emphasised Operational and Other Factors

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

Operational and Other Factors In addition to external economic and political factors, our future business results also depend on our ability to manage successfully those factors that are, at least in part, within our control, including our capital allocation into existing and new businesses. The extent to which we manage these factors will impact our performance relative to competition. For projects in which we are not the operator, we depend on the management effectiveness of one or more co-venturers whom we do not control. Exploration and development program. Our ability to maintain and grow our oil and gas production depends on the success of our exploration and development efforts. Among other factors, we must continuously improve our ability to identify the most promising resource prospects and apply our project management expertise to bring discovered resources online as scheduled and within budget. 5 Project and portfolio management. The long-term success of ExxonMobil's Upstream and Product Solutions businesses, as well as the future success of LCS and other emerging lower-emission investments, depends on complex, long-term, capital-intensive projects. These projects in turn require a high degree of project management expertise to maximize efficiency. Specific factors that can affect the performance of major projects include our ability to: negotiate successfully with joint venturers, partners, governments, suppliers, customers, or others; model and optimize reservoir performance; develop markets for project outputs, whether through long-term contracts or the development of effective spot markets; qualify for certain incentives available under supportive government policies for emerging markets and technologies; manage changes in operating conditions and costs, including costs of third party equipment or services such as drilling rigs and shipping, supply-chain disruptions, and inflationary cost pressures; prevent, to the extent possible, and respond effectively to unforeseen technical difficulties that could delay project start-up or cause unscheduled project downtime; and influence the performance of project operators where ExxonMobil does not perform that role. In addition to the effective management of individual projects, ExxonMobil's success, including our ability to mitigate risk and provide attractive returns to shareholders, depends on our ability to successfully manage our overall portfolio, including diversification among types and locations of our projects, products produced, and strategies to acquire or divest assets. We may not be able to divest assets at a price or on the timeline we contemplate in our strategies. Additionally, we may retain certain liabilities following a divestment and could be held liable for past use or for different liabilities than anticipated. The term "project" as used in this report can refer to a variety of different activities and does not necessarily have the same meaning as in any government payment transparency reports. Operational efficiency. An important component of ExxonMobil's competitive performance, especially given the commodity-based nature of many of our businesses, is our ability to operate efficiently, including our ability to manage expenses, improve production yields on an ongoing basis and successfully integrate and achieve the anticipated synergies of acquisitions, including the acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources Company. This requires continuous management focus, including technology integration and improvements, cost control, productivity enhancements, harmonizing the functions, policies, procedures and processes, regular reappraisal of our asset portfolio, and the recruitment, development, and retention of high caliber employees. Research and development and technological change. To maintain our competitive position, especially in light of the technological nature of our businesses and the need for continuous efficiency improvement, ExxonMobil's technology, research, and development organizations must be successful and able to adapt to a changing market and policy environment, including continuous improvement in the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing technology and developing technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To remain competitive, we must also continuously adapt and capture the benefits of new and emerging technologies, including successfully applying advances in the ability to process very large amounts of data to our businesses. Safety, business controls, and environmental risk management. Our results depend on management's ability to minimize the inherent risks of oil, gas, and petrochemical operations, to effectively control our business activities, including trading, and to minimize the potential for human error. We apply rigorous management systems and continuous focus on workplace safety and avoiding spills or other adverse environmental events. For example, we work to minimize spills through a combined program of effective operations integrity management, ongoing upgrades, key equipment replacements, and comprehensive inspection and surveillance. Similarly, we are implementing cost-effective new technologies and adopting new operating practices to reduce emissions, not only in response to government requirements but also to address community priorities. We employ a robust and actively evolving enterprise risk management system to identify and manage risk across our businesses. We also maintain a disciplined framework of internal controls and apply a controls management system for monitoring compliance with this framework. Substantial liabilities and other adverse impacts could result if we do not timely identify and mitigate applicable risks, or if our management systems and controls do not function as intended.

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

Operational and Other Factors In addition to external economic and political factors, our future business results also depend on our ability to successfully manage those factors that are, at least in part, within our control, including our capital allocation into existing and new businesses. The extent to which we manage these factors will impact our performance relative to competition. For projects in which we are not the operator, we depend on the management effectiveness of one or more co-venturers whom we do not control. Exploration and development program. Our ability to maintain and grow our oil and gas production depends on the success of our exploration and development efforts. Among other factors, we must continuously improve our ability to identify the most promising resource prospects and apply our project management expertise to bring discovered resources online as scheduled and within budget. Project and portfolio management. The long-term success of ExxonMobil's Upstream and Product Solutions businesses, as well as the future success of LCS and other emerging investments, depends on complex, long-term, capital-intensive projects. These projects in turn require a high degree of project management expertise to maximize efficiency. Specific factors that can affect the performance of major projects include our ability to: negotiate successfully with joint venturers, partners, governments, suppliers, customers, or others; protect and enforce our contractual and legal rights, including with our joint venture partners; model and optimize reservoir performance; develop markets for project outputs, whether through long-term contracts or the development of effective spot markets; qualify for certain incentives available under supportive government policies for emerging markets and technologies; manage changes in operating conditions and costs, including costs of third party equipment or services such as drilling rigs and shipping, supply-chain disruptions, and inflationary cost pressures; prevent, to the extent possible, and respond effectively to unforeseen technical difficulties that could delay project start-up or cause unscheduled project downtime; and influence the performance of project operators where ExxonMobil does not perform that role. In addition to the effective management of individual projects, ExxonMobil's success, including our ability to mitigate risk and provide attractive returns to shareholders, depends on our ability to successfully manage our overall portfolio, including diversification among types and locations of our projects, products produced, and strategies to acquire or divest assets. We may not be able to acquire or divest assets at a price or on the timeline we contemplate in our strategies. Additionally, we may retain certain liabilities following a divestment and could be held liable for past use or for different liabilities than anticipated, including reversion of decommissioning or other liabilities upon bankruptcy or other default of successors in title. The term "project" as used in this report can refer to a variety of different activities and does not necessarily have the same meaning as in any government payment transparency reports. Operational efficiency. An important component of ExxonMobil's competitive performance, especially given the commodity-based nature of many of our businesses, is our ability to operate efficiently, including our ability to manage expenses, improve production 5 yields on an ongoing basis and successfully integrate and achieve the anticipated synergies of acquisitions, including the acquisition of Pioneer. This requires continuous management focus, including technology integration and improvements, cost control, productivity enhancements, harmonizing functions, policies, procedures and processes, regular reappraisal of our asset portfolio, and the recruitment, development, and retention of high caliber employees. Research and development and technological change. To maintain our competitive position, especially in light of the technological nature of our businesses, the dynamic and rapidly evolving technological landscape, and the need for continuous efficiency improvement, ExxonMobil's technology, research, and development organizations must be successful and able to adapt to a changing market, regulatory, and policy environment, including continuous improvement in the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing technology and developing technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To remain competitive, we must also continuously adapt and capture the benefits of new and emerging technologies, including successfully applying advances in the ability to process very large amounts of data to our businesses.

reworded ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS ExxonMobil's financial and operating results are subject to a variety of risks inherent in the global oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses and the pursuit of lower-emission business opportunities. Many of these risk factors are not within the company's control and could adversely affect our business, our financial and operating results, or our financial condition. These risk factors include:

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS ExxonMobil's financial and operating results are subject to a variety of risks inherent in the global oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses and the pursuit of lower-emission and other new business opportunities. Many of these risk factors are not within the Company's control and could adversely affect our business, our financial and operating results, or our financial condition. These risk factors include:

reworded Supply and Demand

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

Supply and Demand The oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses are fundamentally commodity businesses. This means ExxonMobil's operations and earnings may be significantly affected by changes in oil, gas, and petrochemical prices and by changes in margins on refined products. Oil, gas, petrochemical, and product prices and margins in turn depend on local, regional, and global events or conditions that affect supply and demand for the relevant commodity or product. Any material decline in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on the company's operations, financial condition, and proved reserves, especially in the Upstream segment. On the other hand, a material increase in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on the company's operations, especially in the Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. Our pursuit of lower-emission business opportunities including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, and lithium also depends on the growth and development of markets for those products and services, including implementation of supportive government policies and developments in technology to enable those products and services to be provided on a cost-effective basis at commercial scale. See "Climate Change and the Energy Transition" in this Item 1A. Economic conditions. The demand for energy and petrochemicals is generally linked closely with broad-based economic activities and levels of prosperity. The occurrence of recessions or other periods of low or negative economic growth will typically have a direct adverse impact on our results. Other factors that affect general economic conditions in the world or in a major region, such as changes in population growth rates, periods of civil unrest, government regulation or austerity programs, trade tariffs or broader breakdowns in global trade, security or public health issues and responses, or currency exchange rate fluctuations, can also impact the demand for energy and petrochemicals. Sovereign debt downgrades, defaults, inability to access debt markets due to rating, banking, or legal constraints, liquidity crises, the breakup or restructuring of fiscal, monetary, or political systems such as the European Union, and other events or conditions that impair the functioning of financial markets and institutions also pose risks to ExxonMobil, including risks to the safety of our financial assets and to the ability of our partners and customers to fulfill their commitments to ExxonMobil. Our future business results, including cash flows and financing needs, may also be affected by the occurrence, severity, pace and rate of recovery of future public health epidemics or pandemics; the responsive actions taken by governments and others; and the resulting effects on regional and global markets and economies. Other demand-related factors. Other factors that may affect the demand for oil, gas, petrochemicals or our other products, and therefore impact our results, include technological improvements in energy efficiency; seasonal weather patterns; increased competitiveness of, or government policy support for, alternative energy sources; changes in technology that alter fuel choices, such as technological advances in energy storage or other critical areas that make wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear or other alternatives more competitive for power generation; changes in consumer preferences for our products, including consumer demand for alternative-fueled or electric transportation or alternatives to plastic products; and broad-based changes in personal income levels. See also "Climate Change and the Energy Transition" below. 2 Other supply-related factors. Commodity prices and margins also vary depending on a number of factors affecting supply. For example, increased supply from the development of new oil and gas supply sources and technologies to enhance recovery from existing sources tends to reduce commodity prices to the extent such supply increases are not offset by commensurate growth in demand. Similarly, increases in industry refining or petrochemical manufacturing capacity relative to demand tend to reduce margins on the affected products. World oil, gas, and petrochemical supply levels can also be affected by factors that reduce available supplies, such as the level of and adherence by participating countries to production quotas established by OPEC or "OPEC+" and other agreements among sovereigns; government policies, including actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that restrict oil and gas production or increase associated costs; the occurrence of wars or hostile actions, including disruption of land or sea transportation routes; natural disasters; disruptions in competitors' operations; and logistics constraints or unexpected unavailability of distribution channels that may disrupt supplies. Technological change can also alter the relative costs for competitors to find, produce and refine oil and gas, and to manufacture petrochemicals. Other market factors. ExxonMobil's business results are also exposed to potential negative impacts due to changes in interest rates, inflation, currency exchange rates, changes in usage of the U.S. dollar in global trade, and other local or regional market conditions. In addition to direct potential impacts on our costs and revenues, market factors such as rates of inflation may indirectly impact our results to the extent such factors reduce general rates of economic growth and therefore energy demand, as discussed under "Economic conditions". Market factors may also result in losses from commodity derivatives and other instruments we use to hedge price exposures or for trading purposes. Additional information regarding the potential future impact of market factors on our businesses is included or incorporated by reference under "Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" in this report.

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

Supply and Demand The oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses are fundamentally commodity businesses. This means ExxonMobil's operations and earnings may be significantly affected by changes in oil, gas, and petrochemical prices and by changes in margins on refined products. Oil, gas, petrochemical, and product prices and margins in turn depend on local, regional, and global events or conditions that affect supply and demand for the relevant commodity or product. Any material decline in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on the Company's operations, financial condition, and proved reserves, especially in the Upstream segment. On the other hand, a material increase in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on the Company's operations, especially in the Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. Our pursuit of lower-emission and other new business opportunities, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, ProxximaTM systems, carbon materials, and lithium also depends on the growth and development of markets for those products and services, including implementation of supportive and stable government policies and developments in technology to enable those products and services to be provided on a cost-effective basis at commercial scale. See "Climate Change and the Energy Transition" in this Item 1A. Economic conditions. The demand for energy and petrochemicals is generally linked closely with broad-based economic activities and levels of prosperity. The occurrence of economic downturns, recessions or other periods of low or negative economic growth will typically have a direct adverse impact on our results. Other factors that affect general economic conditions in the world or in a major region, such as changes in population growth rates, periods of civil unrest, government regulation or austerity programs, national or regional trade tariffs, trade sanctions or trade controls, international monetary and currency exchange rate fluctuations, decoupling of economies, disruptions in trade alliances or military alliances, or a broader breakdown in global trade, security or public health issues and responses, can also impact the demand for energy and petrochemicals. Sovereign debt downgrades, defaults, extended government shutdowns, inability to access debt markets due to rating, banking, or legal constraints, liquidity crises, the breakup or restructuring of fiscal, monetary, or political systems such as the European Union, de-dollarization in global trade or the growth or use of alternative common currencies, and other events or conditions that impair the functioning of financial markets and institutions also pose risks to ExxonMobil, including risks to the safety of our financial assets and to the ability of our partners and customers to fulfill their commitments to ExxonMobil. Our future business results, including cash flows and financing needs, may also be affected by the occurrence, severity, pace and rate of recovery of future public health epidemics or pandemics; the responsive actions taken by governments and others; and the resulting effects on regional and global markets and economies. Other demand-related factors. Other factors that may affect the demand for oil, gas, petrochemicals or our other products, and therefore impact our results, include technological improvements in energy efficiency; seasonal weather patterns; increased competitiveness of, or government policy support for, alternative energy sources or potential substitutes for our products; changes in technology that alter fuel choices, such as technological advances in energy storage or other critical areas that make wind, solar, nuclear or other alternatives more competitive for power generation; changes in consumer preferences for our products, including consumer demand for alternative-fueled or electric transportation or alternatives to plastic products; and broad-based changes in personal income levels. See also "Climate Change and the Energy Transition" below. 2 Other supply-related factors. Commodity prices and margins also vary depending on a number of factors affecting supply. For example, increased supply from the development of new oil and gas supply sources and technologies to enhance recovery from existing sources tends to reduce commodity prices to the extent such supply increases are not offset by commensurate growth in demand. Similarly, increases in industry refining or petrochemical manufacturing capacity relative to demand tend to reduce margins on the affected products. World oil, gas, and petrochemical supply levels can also be affected by factors that reduce available supplies, such as the level of and adherence by participating countries to production quotas established by OPEC or OPEC+ and other agreements among sovereigns; government policies, including actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that restrict oil and gas production or increase associated production, reporting or compliance costs; collective actions by non-governmental organizations and financial institutions to withhold funding or support from oil and gas producers; the occurrence of wars or hostile actions, including disruption of land or sea transportation routes; natural disasters; disruptions in competitors' operations; and logistics constraints or unexpected unavailability of distribution channels that may disrupt supplies. Technological change can also alter the relative costs for competitors to find, produce and refine oil and gas, and to manufacture petrochemicals.

reworded Legal remedies available to compensate us for expropriation or other takings may be inadequate.

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

Legal remedies available to compensate us for expropriation or other takings may be inadequate. We also may be adversely affected by the outcome of litigation, especially in countries such as the United States in which very large and unpredictable punitive damage awards may occur; by government enforcement proceedings alleging non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations; or by state and local government actors as well as private plaintiffs acting in parallel that attempt to use the legal system to promote public policy agendas (including seeking to reduce the production and sale of hydrocarbon products through litigation targeting the company or other industry participants), gain political notoriety, or obtain monetary awards from the company. The continued adoption of similar legal practices in the European Union or elsewhere would broaden this risk and has begun to be applied to some of our competitors in the European Union. Security concerns. Successful operation of particular facilities or projects may be disrupted by civil unrest, acts of sabotage or terrorism, cybersecurity attacks, the application of national security laws or policies that result in restricting our ability to do business in a particular jurisdiction, and other local security concerns. Such concerns may be directed specifically at our company, our industry, or as part of broader movements and may require us to incur greater costs for security or to shut down operations for a period of time.

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

Legal remedies available to compensate us for expropriation or other takings may be inadequate. We also may be adversely affected by the outcome of litigation or arbitration, especially in countries such as the United States in which very large and unpredictable punitive damage awards may occur; by government enforcement proceedings alleging non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations; or by state and local government actors as well as private plaintiffs acting in parallel that attempt to use the legal system to promote public policy agendas (including seeking to reduce the production and sale of hydrocarbon products through litigation targeting the Company or other industry participants), gain political notoriety, or obtain monetary awards from the Company. The continued adoption of similar legal practices in the European Union or elsewhere would broaden this risk and has begun to be applied to some of our competitors in the European Union. Security concerns. Successful operation of particular facilities or projects may be disrupted by civil unrest, acts of sabotage, piracy, or terrorism, cybersecurity attacks, the application of national security laws or policies that result in restricting our ability to do business in a particular jurisdiction, strikes or protests, and other local security concerns. Such concerns may be directed specifically at our company, our industry, or as part of broader movements and may require us to incur greater costs for security or to shut down operations for a period of time.

reworded Climate Change and the Energy Transition

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

Climate Change and the Energy Transition Net-zero scenarios. Driven by concern over the risks of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including emissions from the production and use of oil and gas and their products as well as the use or support for different emission-reduction technologies. These actions are being taken both independently by national and regional governments and within the framework of United Nations Conference of the Parties summits under which many countries of the world have endorsed objectives to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the coming decades, with an ambition ultimately to achieve "net zero". Net zero means that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities would be balanced by actions that remove such gases from the atmosphere. Expectations for transition of the world's energy system to lower-emission sources, and ultimately net-zero, derive from hypothetical scenarios that reflect many assumptions about the future and reflect substantial uncertainties. The company's objective to play a leading role in the energy transition, including the company's announced ambition ultimately to achieve net zero with respect to Scope 1 and 2 emissions from operations with continued technology development and policy support where ExxonMobil is the operator, carries risks that the transition, including underlying technologies, policies, and markets as discussed in more detail below, will not be available or develop at the pace or in the manner expected by current net-zero scenarios. The success of our strategy for the energy transition will also depend on our ability to recognize key signposts of changes in the global energy system on a timely basis, and our corresponding ability to direct investment to the technologies and businesses, at the appropriate stage of development, to best capitalize on our competitive strengths. 4 Greenhouse gas restrictions. Government actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, carbon-based import duties or other trade tariffs, minimum renewable usage requirements, restrictive permitting, increased mileage and other efficiency standards, mandates for sales of electric vehicles, mandates for use of specific fuels or technologies, and other incentives or mandates designed to support certain technologies for transitioning to lower-emission energy sources. Political and other actors and their agents also increasingly seek to advance climate change objectives indirectly, such as by seeking to reduce the availability or increase the cost of financing and investment in the oil and gas sector. These actions include delaying or blocking needed infrastructure, utilizing shareholder governance mechanisms against companies or their shareholders or financial institutions in an effort to deter investment in oil and gas activities, and taking other actions intended to promote changes in business strategy for oil and gas companies. Depending on how policies are formulated and applied, such policies could negatively affect our investment returns, make our hydrocarbon-based products more expensive or less competitive, lengthen project implementation times, and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon alternatives. Current and pending greenhouse gas regulations or policies may also increase our compliance costs, such as for monitoring or sequestering emissions. Technology and lower-emission solutions. Achieving societal ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately achieve net zero will require new technologies to reduce the cost and increase the scalability of alternative energy sources, as well as technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS technologies, focused initially on capturing and sequestering CO2 emissions from high-intensity industrial activities, can assist in meeting society's objective to mitigate atmospheric greenhouse gas levels while also helping ensure the availability of the reliable and affordable energy the world requires. ExxonMobil has established a Low Carbon Solutions (LCS) business unit to advance the development and deployment of these technologies and projects, including CCS, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, and lithium, breakthrough energy efficiency processes, advanced energy-saving materials, and other technologies. The company's efforts include both in-house research and development as well as collaborative efforts with leading universities and with commercial partners involved in advanced lower-emission energy technologies. Our future results and ability to grow our LCS business, help nations meet their emission-reduction goals, and succeed through the energy transition will depend in part on the success of these research and collaboration efforts and on our ability to adapt and apply the strengths of our current business model to providing the energy products of the future in a cost-competitive manner.

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

Climate Change and the Energy Transition Net-zero scenarios. Driven by concern over the risks of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to report on or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions from the production and use of oil and gas and their products, as well as increase the use of or support for different emission-reduction technologies. These actions are being taken both independently by national and regional governments and within the framework of United Nations Conference of the Parties summits under which many countries of the world have endorsed objectives to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the coming decades, with an ambition ultimately to achieve "net zero". Net zero means that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities would be balanced by actions that remove such gases from the atmosphere. Expectations for transition of the world's energy system to lower-emission sources, and ultimately net-zero, derive from hypothetical scenarios that reflect many assumptions about the future, including supportive policy and technology advancements, and reflect substantial uncertainties. The Company's objective to play a leading role in the energy transition, including the Company's announced ambition ultimately to achieve net zero with respect to Scope 1 and 2 emissions from operations with continued technology development and government policy support where ExxonMobil is the operator, carries risks that the transition, including underlying technologies, government policies, and markets as discussed in more detail below, will not be available or develop at the pace or in the manner expected by current net-zero scenarios. The success of our strategy for the energy transition will also depend on our ability to recognize key signposts of changes in the global energy system on a timely basis, and our corresponding ability to direct investment to the technologies and businesses, at the appropriate stage of development, to best capitalize on our competitive strengths. Greenhouse gas restrictions. Government actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, carbon accounting, carbon-based import duties or other trade tariffs, minimum renewable usage requirements, restrictive permitting, increased mileage and other efficiency standards, mandates for sales of electric vehicles, restrictions on sales of gasoline-only vehicles, mandates for use of specific fuels or technologies, and other incentives or mandates designed to support certain technologies for transitioning to lower-emission energy sources. Political and other actors and their agents also increasingly seek to collectively advance climate change objectives indirectly, such as by seeking to reduce the availability or increase the cost of financing and investment in the oil and gas sector. These actions include delaying or blocking needed infrastructure, utilizing shareholder governance mechanisms against companies or their shareholders or financial institutions in an effort to deter investment in oil and gas activities, and taking other actions intended to promote changes in business strategy for oil and gas companies. Depending on how policies are formulated and applied, such policies could negatively affect our investment returns, make our hydrocarbon-based products more expensive or less competitive, lengthen project implementation times, and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon alternatives. Current and pending greenhouse gas regulations or policies 4 may also increase our compliance costs, such as for monitoring or sequestering emissions and complying with increased or mandatory disclosure or due diligence requirements and government mandated energy transition plans. Technology and lower-emission solutions. Achieving societal ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately achieve net zero will require new technologies and added infrastructure to reduce the cost and increase the scalability of alternative energy sources, as well as technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS technologies, focused initially on capturing and sequestering CO2 emissions from high-carbon intensity industrial activities, can assist in meeting society's objective to mitigate atmospheric greenhouse gas levels while also helping ensure the availability of the reliable and affordable energy the world requires. ExxonMobil has established a Low Carbon Solutions (LCS) business unit and is continuing efforts in our existing businesses to advance the development and deployment of these technologies and projects, including CCS, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, and lithium, breakthrough energy efficiency processes, advanced energy-saving materials, and other technologies. The Company's efforts include both in-house research and development as well as collaborative efforts with leading universities and with commercial partners involved in new energy technologies. Our future results and ability to grow our business, help others meet their emission-reduction goals, and succeed through the energy transition will depend in part on the success of these research and collaboration efforts and on our ability to adapt and apply the strengths of our current business model to providing the energy products of the future in a cost-competitive manner.

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Side-by-side against the prior Business Description.

Business Description

1 change
reworded ITEM 1. BUSINESS

FY2023 10-K
Removed
Filed Feb 28, 2024

ITEM 1. 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. Our principal business involves exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas; manufacture, trade, transport and sale of crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals, and a wide variety of specialty products; and pursuit of lower-emission business opportunities including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, and lithium. 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 terms ExxonMobil, 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. In October 2023 the Corporation entered into a merger agreement with Pioneer Natural Resources Company (Pioneer), an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, in exchange for ExxonMobil common stock. The transaction is currently expected to close in the second quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals. For additional information, see "Note 21: Mergers and Acquisitions" in the Financial Section of this report. 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. Certain industry participants, including ExxonMobil, are expanding investments in lower-emission energy and emission-reduction services and technologies. 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: "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations: Business Results" and "Note 18: Disclosures about Segments and Related 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 businesses. ExxonMobil held over 8 thousand active patents worldwide at the end of 2023. For technology licensed to third parties, revenues totaled approximately $155 million in 2023. 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 about 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. Over 60 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 37 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 62 thousand, 62 thousand, and 63 thousand at years ended 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Regular employees are defined as active executive, management, professional, technical, administrative, and wage employees who work full time or part time for the Corporation and are covered by the Corporation's benefit plans and programs. 1

FY2024 10-K
Added
Filed Feb 19, 2025

ITEM 1. 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. Our principal business involves exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas; manufacture, trade, transport and sale of crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals, and a wide variety of specialty products; and pursuit of lower-emission and other new business opportunities, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, lower-emission fuels, ProxximaTM systems, carbon materials, and lithium. Affiliates of ExxonMobil conduct extensive research programs in support of these businesses. Exxon Mobil Corporation's divisions and affiliates have many names, including ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil or XTO. For convenience and simplicity, in this report the terms ExxonMobil, 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. On May 3, 2024, the Corporation acquired Pioneer Natural Resources Company (Pioneer), an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. With reference to the acquisition, we issued 545 million shares of ExxonMobil common stock having a fair value of $63 billion on the acquisition date, and assumed debt with a fair value of $5 billion. The acquisition transforms ExxonMobil's upstream portfolio, creating an industry-leading, high-quality U.S. unconventional inventory position. For additional information, see Note 21 in the Financial Section of this report. 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. Certain industry participants, including ExxonMobil, are expanding investments in lower-emission energy and emission-reduction services and technologies. 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: "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations: Business Results" and Note 18. 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 businesses. ExxonMobil held over 8 thousand active patents worldwide at the end of 2024. For technology licensed to third parties, revenues totaled approximately $102 million in 2024. 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 about 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. With over 60 percent of our global employees from outside the U.S. and 160 nationalities represented across the Company, we encourage and respect diversity of thought, ideas, and perspective from our workforce. We are focused on building an engaged, global workforce; grounded in meritocracy, we strive to have every employee reach their potential over a long-term career by providing unrivaled opportunities for personal and professional growth through impactful work meeting society's essential needs. The number of regular employees was 61 thousand, 62 thousand, and 62 thousand at years ended 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Regular employees are defined as active executive, management, professional, technical, administrative, 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 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. For additional 1 information on the Corporation's worldwide environmental expenditures, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations: Environmental Matters" in the Financial Section of this report.