Forbes.com readers and editors rank John D. Rockefeller as the third most influential businessman of all time. John D. Rockefeller tamed the early wildcat oil economy and replaced it with a smoothly functioning—if vaguely sinister—international machine. "The day of combination is here to stay," he once said, "individualism has gone, never to return." Rockefeller built Standard Oil by borrowing heavily to fund acquisitions and ruthlessly cutting costs. As historian Gerald Gunderson writes, refineries were consolidated at larger, more efficient locations and tied into new pipelines. Rockefeller also colluded with the major railroad owners to have his product shipped more cheaply than his competitors. Standard Oil eventually became the No. 1 target of the anti-monopolists in government. It was broken into 34 pieces in a landmark 1911 Supreme Court case. The decision set a precedent that would make antitrust policy a major force in America and throughout the world.

　　福布斯网站（Forbes.com）读者和编辑将洛克菲勒列为有史以来第3位最有影响力的商人。 　　
　　洛克菲勒驯服了石油经济早期的盲目开采，取而代之以国际性的商业组织，除了有说不清楚的风险外，国际组织还是提供了稳定的功能。“联合作战的日子来到了”，一次他说道：“单打独斗已随风而逝，再也不会回来了”。 　
　　通过大量借款进行收购和毫不留情地削减成本，洛克菲勒建立了标准石油公司。正象历史学家杰拉尔德•冈德森（Gerald Gunderson）所描述的：精炼油厂被最大程度地整合，厂址带来更大的效率，并且连接到了新的运输管道。洛克菲勒也与主要的铁路拥有者串通，使得他可以用比竞争对手低得多的价格运输他的产品。最终，标准石油成为政府反垄断的头号目标。1911年被最高法院拆分为34个独立公司，这是一个里程碑式的判决。它为反托拉斯政策在美国和全球成为一个主要力量开了先河。