Heavy investment in low-cost assets in the Permian Basin and Guyana, both of which are profitable at less than $35 a barrel, are helping Exxon grow production and make money even as rivals struggle to adjust to crude prices that are hovering near the lowest in four years. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods believes his fossil fuel investments over the past decade — even during the pandemic and wave of environmental, social and governance investing — has set the company up to thrive, whatever path the energy transition takes in the future.