Thread regarding ExxonMobil Corp. layoffs

Megalomania

The megalomania that led to the downfall from being #1 in market-cap to getting booted from the Dow still continues, as evidenced by paying $15 B amidst a year where there was no profit. That means just borrow money at low interest rates and distribute it. The megalomaniacal executives and board forget the fact that the current rate of dividend reached its peak at the height of the oil-price and is not applicable now (during a down-cycle in a pandemic). The competition has cut dividends and have done fine with their share-price.

They say that the company hires the best from the top-schools. Which management school teaches declaring dividends of $15B when the company hadn’t made profits? Dividend distribution is a form of profit sharing but when you haven’t made profits, what is there to share?

Such megalomania will eventually lead to bankruptcy!

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Post ID: @OP+19fV7GhM

12 replies (most recent on top)

@sro+19fV7GhM

Name one legitimate business need that EM did not meet in 2020 because of paying the dividend. Just one.

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Post ID: @1gtg+19fV7GhM

@1ogl+19fV7GhM

Maybe because that wasn't the topic of discussion? Why aren't you complaining about how you are going to be without an income after July Mr NSI?

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Post ID: @1ylk+19fV7GhM

They paid money while borrowing at low rates.

Which is what every country, state, and local government did. Why are you not complaining about everything?

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Post ID: @1ogl+19fV7GhM

@qck+19fV7GhM

How is taking on additional debt to cover the dividend a good move for the long term health of the company? Share price means didly-squat for healthy company.

Now instead of having money to paying the shareholders or invest back in the company, money is going out the window back into the bank that loaned us the money.

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Post ID: @sro+19fV7GhM

So what? If you like what Shell and BP did, buy their stock or go to work for them. Chevron and XOM chose not to cut their dividends and for good reason. Both are now being praised by many on Wall Street for sticking by the shareholders and preventing even further drops in stock price. The shareholders at EM and CVX have plenty to say, and the majority obviously were in favor of keeping the dividend. Likely the shareholders at Shell and BP also wanted to keep the dividend, but their management chose the easy way out to hold onto cash instead of making tougher business decisions for the long term health of their companies. The easy way out is seldom the smart move over the long term. Not a big fan of EM management, but they made the right call here.

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Post ID: @qck+19fV7GhM

Shell cut its dividend by 2/3rd.
BP cut its dividend by half.

Oh wait! They are not part of Corporate America but Corporate Europe - that must be it, where shareholders have no say!

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Post ID: @eaq+19fV7GhM

Who says money was borrowed to pay the dividend? EM has a pot of cash flow and must decide how to use it. Someone else says the money was borrowed to pay salaries and we shouldn't borrow money for that, so the solution is to immediately slash salaries and terminate people. Maybe the money was borrowed to pay for benefits, so the answer is to eliminate all benefits immediately. Problem solved! This is how ridiculous your argument is. Money is fungible. It can be used for anything and everything. There is no tag that says this money is just for dividends.

Some people have a very difficult time understand their role. You are employees. You don't control how money is spent. The shareholders are the owners, not the employees. The shareholders elect Board members to act on their behalf, they don't hire employees to speak for them. When you OWN something, you should be first in line to realize the benefits from that investment, not last in line or subject to the whims of employees or any other non-elected individuals. The concept of ownership versus employment seems way too complicated for some. And major corporations couldn't care less what some graduate assistant teaches in a business school. If that is where people get an understanding of corporate America, well, that explains why their arguments are so shallow.

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Post ID: @apv+19fV7GhM

Warren Dood$ went to Kellog School (Northwestern for MBA). Need to call the dean of the business school to find out if it makes any sense to borrow $15B to distribute to shareholders when the company didn’t make an annual profit and if this is what they teach there as part of their management program!

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Post ID: @trv+19fV7GhM

Same debunked dividend outrage. Same complete lack of understanding as to why EM no longer part of the Dow 30. Same false hope that EM is doomed. Needs some new tunes trolls.

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Post ID: @cdo+19fV7GhM

I went to Oklahoma State, and they hired me. So, your argument is not valid.

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Post ID: @dev+19fV7GhM

Spot on. Lets hire long horns :)

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Post ID: @qot+19fV7GhM

I understand touching on the topic of 'top schools' is a No-No here.

Let's just say Aggies and Cougars are not on top in the nature of business.
But they are righteous, which used to count in the 50's (20th century).

Meanwhile, all the richest peoples in the world were drop-outs!
Fancy that.

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Post ID: @zfg+19fV7GhM

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