ExxonMobil Might Not Rule the Planet
But It Sure Does Its Best
With almost $500 billion in revenue in 2011, ExxonMobil is the largest corporation in America–and one of its most secretive. What goes on behind its doors, and how does it wield its enormous influence outside them? How has it weathered struggles and calamities but still managed to maintain a spot in the top five corporations in the U.S. since 1954? Speaking to a crowd at the Petersen Automotive Museum, The New Yorker’s Steve Coll, author of Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, explained how Exxon has come to resemble something …
