After working briefly at Exxon as a geologist,[2] he obtained a master's degree in petroleum engineering in 1985 from the same university.

[1] In February 2018, Hildebrand stepped down as CEO of Hilcorp, passing the position to Greg Lalicker.

[13] His success has been attributed to his ability to recognize other companies’ underperforming assets and subsequently re-managing them.

[2] In April 2020, Governor Greg Abbott named Hildebrand to the Strike Force to Open Texas – a group "tasked with finding safe and effective ways to slowly reopen the state" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

[17] In November 2017, Hildebrand donated $25 million to the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

[20] A devout Catholic, Hildebrand has contributed millions of dollars to various Christian organizations, charities, and ministries.