6 Reasons To Avoid Exxon Mobil (XOM) Stock Right Now zodebala / Getty Images From its beginnings as the Vacuum Oil Company founded in 1866 to the Standard Oil Company started by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, over the last 140 years, the company grew from a regional seller of kerosene to one of the largest publicly traded oil and gas and petrochemical companies in the world.Operating worldwide as Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) and Esso, the company develops next-generation technologies to help meet ene ...