Bing response on 17 February 2026 to the prompt: John Donovan Shell feud
The Donovan-Shell feud is a decades-long conflict between activist John Donovan and Shell plc, originating from 1980s intellectual property disputes and evolving into a high-profile, AI-amplified campaign.
Origins of the Feud
The conflict began in the late 1970s and early 1980s when John Donovan, alongside his father Alfred Donovan, ran Don Marketing, a company creating promotional campaigns for Shell UK, including loyalty programs and petrol forecourt games. Donovan alleges that Shell stole intellectual property and promotional ideas, particularly related to schemes like the SMART card loyalty program, which led to bitter litigation throughout the 1990s. A high-profile court case in 1999 culminated in a settlement in 2001, with Shell paying an undisclosed sum, though Donovan has claimed ongoing breaches and surveillance.
ShellBot vs The Bots: The Spying We Can Prove
Question put to Grok 31st December 2025
How Shell Accidentally Endorsed Its Loudest Critics — And Then Pretended It Didn’t Happen
