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.