Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the world's fifth largest source of carbon emissions, remained committed to aggressively expanding its oil & gas business despite global warming. During the COVID pandemic this strategy resulted in massive losses as the price and demand for oil declined. In the summer of 2021, a start-up impact investing hedge fund, Engine No. 1, invested $38 million in ExxonMobil stock and mounted a proxy fight to change the company's direction by electing Directors experienced in renewable energy. Over fierce objections by management, Engine No. 1 won 3 board seats. By then, demand for oil had resumed and Exxon's strategy had begun to pay off. The case raises provocative questions about whether maximizing shareholder value required Exxon to use its existing resources to drive short term profits without regard to future consequences and environmental impact or, alternatively, to move beyond its core capabilities into initiatives suited to a low-carbon future. Voted best case by first year MBAs.