Future Is Exxon

Exxon is the richest company in human history; the largest, most influential actor in a vital industry; and arguably the fullest expression of American-style global capitalism of our time. Yet Exxon has one of the worst public images of any major corporation, loathed for its ecological disasters, litigation, and lobbying. Within its own industry, Exxon is regarded as hostile and imperious. And if Exxon is more profitable than any company, ever, and could afford to buy Wal-Mart outright, this success is dismissed as short-lived because it remains an unapologetic champion of yesterday's fuels - coal, gas, but especially oil, which it believes will dominate the energy mix until well past 2050. Journalist Paul Roberts has been widely praised for his insights into the world of oil. TheNew York Review of Books called The End of Oilperhaps the best single book ever produced about our energy economy. Now, in The Future is Exxon, examines a uniquely powerful American company, whose leaders and policies will affect our lives for years to come.

Descended from John D. Rockefeller's 19th-century Standard Oil Company, and now officially known as the ExxonMobil Corporation, Exxon is arguably the fullest expression of American-style global capitalism of our time-but also the most paradoxical. For all its extraordinary success, Exxon has one of the worst public images of any major corporation, loathed for its ecological disasters, litigation, and lobbying. Within its own industry, Exxon is regarded as hostile and imperious. And while Exxon is more profitable than any company, ever-and could buy Wal-Mart outright-that massive success is dismissed as short-lived: Exxon remains an unapologetic champion of yesterday's fuels-coal, gas, but especially oil-which it believes will dominate the energy mix until well past 2050. Now, journalist Paul Roberts examines this uniquely powerful company, whose leaders and policies will affect the lives of Americans-and many others throughout the world-for decades to come.