On November 30, 1999, oil giants Exxon Corporation and Mobil Corporation finalized their merger, creating ExxonMobil. The combined company became one of the largest publicly traded energy firms in the world. The deal reunited two descendants of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, which had been broken up by antitrust action in 1911. Supporters argued that the merger would produce efficiencies and strengthen the company’s global competitiveness. Critics raised concerns about market concentration and environmental accountability. ExxonMobil has since played a major role in oil and gas production, refining, and petrochemicals, as well as in debates over climate change and energy policy.
