Petroleum giants AMOCO, Esso, Hess, and Mobil are some of the largest oil companies in the world. AMOCO, which stands for the American Oil Company, is an American oil and gas company that was founded in 1889. Esso, which is short for Standard Oil, is a British-Dutch oil and gas company that was founded in 1912. Hess Corporation is an American oil and gas company that was founded in 1933. Finally, Mobil, which stands for the Mobil Oil Corporation, is an American oil and gas company that was founded in 1911. All four of these companies have had a major impact on the global oil industry.