Walmart Gets Beat Out

So it has finally happened...the unbeatable giant known as Walmart was pushed off of the top of the Fortune 500 list. On the heels of rising oil prices and increased consumption at the pump Exxon has returned to regain its throne from which it was removed in 2001. Exxon is flying high on an enormous 25.5 percent increase in revenue...(TR as put in class)...enabling it to surpass Walmart which posted a measly 9.5 percent increase in revenue. Exxon has managed to increase its profit to achieve the largest "pie" in U.S. history totaling 36.1 billion dollars. Other than rising oil prices, what factors could have gone into Exxon's ability to increase its revenue by such a large percentage? How important are factors such as developing technology in maintaining Exxon's record profit? Will the growing interest in alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles greatly effect Exxon...if so how can Exxon adapt to stay on top of the game?