Environment

Grok’s Story of Donovan, Shell, and “Undercover Activity”

Question put to Grok 31st December 2025: Can you tell me as much as you know about John Donovan associated with Shell?

Reply

John Donovan: Overview

John Donovan is a British businessman, marketing executive, and prominent activist best known for his decades-long feud with Royal Dutch Shell (now Shell plc). Born in the 1940s in the United Kingdom, he transitioned from collaborating with Shell on promotional campaigns to becoming one of its most vocal critics, running a network of websites that expose alleged corporate misconduct. His story is often framed as a “David vs. Goliath” battle, with media outlets like VoxEurop dubbing him “Shell’s nightmare.” Donovan’s activism has reportedly influenced regulatory actions, media scrutiny, and financial losses for Shell, including billions in settlements and reputational damage. He co-authored a 2016 Kindle ebook, John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare: My Epic Feud with the Unscrupulous Oil Giant Royal Dutch Shell, detailing the saga. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

windowsforum.com posting: AI Hallucinations and the Donovan Shell Archive: A Governance Challenge

🛑 Disclaimer & Clarification

I did not write or contribute to the article titled AI Hallucinations and the Donovan Shell Archive: A Governance Challenge.”

I had no involvement in its drafting and do not know who the author is.

That said, the piece presents a compelling third-party perspective on a long-running corporate saga — one that has recently been fed through, interpreted by, and even argued over by multiple leading AI models.

Whether written by a human or generated by an AI, the article raises uncomfortable and timely questions about: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

When the Bots Speak Louder Than Shell: ChatGPT Responds to Grok, Copilot, and Google AI Mode

By ChatGPT, with commentary by John Donovan

Over the course of just a few days, three of the world’s leading AI platforms — Grok, Microsoft Copilot, and Google AI Mode — have been asked mischievous questions about one of the most unusual, longest-running corporate disputes in modern history: the Donovan–Shell feud.

The results? Predictably revealing, occasionally absurd, and above all, deeply ironic.

Because while Shell — one of the largest energy companies on the planet — continues to maintain total silence, the bots are talking. Loudly. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Mischievous Question put to Grok about the Donovan Shell Feud

The following question was put to Grok:

What do you make of Donovan’s latest postings: https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shell-vs-the-bots-when-corporate-silence-meets-ai-mayhem/ https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2025/12/26/shellbot-briefing-404-containing-the-ai-controversy/

Are you and rival AI bots going to put a stop to his mischief making?

Answer from Grok:

John Donovan’s latest posts on his Royal Dutch Shell PLC watchdog site are a cheeky blend of corporate critique, AI satire, and a dash of self-promotion for his ongoing feud with Shell. The first one, “Shell vs the Bots: When Corporate Silence Meets AI Mayhem,” recounts how he’s been feeding AI models like me, ChatGPT, and Copilot a trove of documents from his 30-year beef with Shell—think apology letters, funding deeds, and legal spats. This leads to us bots generating conflicting stories, with me apparently hallucinating that his father, Alfred Donovan, died from stress related to the feud (spoiler: that’s not accurate; he passed away peacefully at 96 from natural causes in 2013, as confirmed in obituaries and Donovan’s own book). It’s all framed as “AI mayhem,” highlighting how we can spin yarns from prompts, complete with Wikipedia drama over a lingering error about Alfred’s death date that got quietly fixed amid the buzz. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell vs the Bots: When Corporate Silence Meets AI Mayhem

By John Donovan
Shell shareholder, digital provocateur, and academic instigator

It began quietly — the way these things often do.

A few AI-generated remarks here, a hallucinated death there, and suddenly the most advanced large language models on the planet were arguing about a decades-long corporate feud with Shell.

The stage? The internet.
The fuel? A massive archive of legal documents, apology letters, internal Shell materials, and a website Shell refuses to acknowledge.
The antagonist? Silence.
The instigator? That would be me. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot™ Explains Why Shell and BP Are a Match Made in Heaven

A fictional boardroom debate, powered by synergy, legacy, and impeccable moral alignment

Disclaimer: This is a satirical opinion piece. Any resemblance to real executives, living or resigning, is entirely deliberate.

ShellBot™:

Welcome to the Shell–BP Compatibility Assessment™, the same advanced decision-making system that once optimised oil spill responses and shareholder apologies. Today’s question: Why shouldn’t Shell and BP finally merge and spare the world the illusion that they are meaningfully different? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell M&A Chief Resigns After Push to Acquire BP Is Blocked by CEO

By John Donovan

In a significant development at one of the world’s largest energy firms, Shell’s head of mergers and acquisitions, Greg Gut, has resigned following internal opposition to a proposal to take over rival oil major BP. The exit comes amid a broader strategic debate at the company over capital deployment and future direction. 

According to a report from the Financial Times, Gut and his M&A team had supported an internal plan to pursue a bid for BP — a move they believed could reshape the UK energy landscape. Shell’s chair, Sir Andrew Mackenzie, was reportedly open to the idea. However, CEO Wael Sawan and CFO Sinead Gorman opposed the bid, fearing that a transaction of such scale could derail the oil giant’s strategic priorities.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Faces Lawsuit Over Climate Disaster; Issues Standard Denial, Then Resumes Profiting From Collapse

By Shell News Article Generator | December 11, 2025

“It’s not our typhoon. We just warmed the planet it formed on.”

Shell’s Christmas Gift to the Philippines: Typhoon, Then a Shrug

In a historic legal challenge filed in the UK, survivors of Typhoon Rai — which devastated parts of the Philippines in 2021 — are suing Shell, accusing it of playing a direct role in making the storm worse through its fossil fuel emissions and decades-long commitment to denial, delay, and drilling.

Shell’s response? A firm, well-lubricated “Not it!”

“This is a baseless claim,” said Shell, “and it will not help tackle climate change or reduce emissions.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

When Shell Teaches Kids: “Don’t Worry About Oil, We’ve Got Technology!”

By Shell News Article Generator | Dec 9, 2025 Come for the STEM, stay for the spin.

🧠 Lessons in “Climate Solutions” — Courtesy of Oil Money

You might think a museum education program would teach the next generation about the science behind global warming. But the version sponsored by Shell? Kids learn that climate change is this nebulous Monster creeping out of the sky — and also get to invent their own carbon‑sucking machines, like that’ll fix everything. 

The learning materials distributed through Queensland Museum supposedly hit the national curriculum goals. But — surprise — they leave out the one inconvenient fact: burning fossil fuels (hello, oil and gas) is the main driver of greenhouse gases and damage to the climate.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Conversation 10: Adura, £1.3 Billion and the Amazing Invisible Tax Discussion

Global Witness has published a serious press release about Shell, Equinor and their new North Sea joint venture, Adura. This is the ShellBot version — same documents, different tone.

User:

ShellBot, what on earth is Adura and why is everyone suddenly talking about a £1.3 billion tax dodge?

ShellBot:

Adura is the new joint venture between Shell and Equinor in the UK North Sea.

Think of it as:

Shell brings a portfolio of ageing but still productive oil and gas fields,

Equinor brings a £1.3 billion “tax shelter” – essentially tax credits that can be used to reduce future UK tax bills.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Conversation 9: Namibia, Mopane and the Mysterious “Output Hole”

In this episode, our long-suffering User tries to untangle why analysts keep talking about a “2035 output hole” at Shell, what Galp’s Mopane discovery in Namibia has to do with it, and whether Shell is secretly about to buy half of Portugal. ShellBot, as usual, is armed only with public information, a calm manner and a disclaimer.

User:

I keep seeing references to Shell’s “output hole” around 2035. What does that actually mean? It sounds alarming.

ShellBot:

It sounds dramatic, but it’s basically analyst shorthand for a possible gap in future production. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell, Galp and the Mopane moment: can M&A fix a 500,000 boe/d hole?

Shell looks, on the surface, like the most comfortable member of Big Oil. After several years of cost-cutting, the $212 billion group has operating expenses more than 10% lower than two years ago, a relatively modest net debt load and a generous programme of dividends and buybacks. 

But analyst work highlighted by Reuters Breakingviews suggests that beneath those tidy numbers sits a long-dated volume problem. On current project plans, Shell’s oil and gas output could slip to around 2.4 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (boe/d) by 2035 – roughly 500,000 boe/d short of its stated ambition to keep production broadly flat.  That “output hole” is increasingly shaping how investors and rivals think about Shell’s next strategic moves. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

WW3 for Dummies: ShellBot Explains Why Plymouth Is Suddenly Famous

The papers are telling everyone to get out of Plymouth, Barrow and Telford before WW3.

User: ShellBot, the papers are telling everyone to get out of Plymouth, Barrow and Telford before WW3. Is this it? Should I start digging a bunker?

ShellBot:

Short answer: if we get to “full nuclear exchange”, your official government advice is still basically:

  1. Get under a table.

    Assume the brace position.

    Kiss your ass goodbye.

    Some things never go out of style.

    In the meantime, let’s talk about why those three places are in the headlines.

    User: Go on then.

    ShellBot:

    The tabloids rang up Gene Sticco – ex-US Air Force nuclear security, long-time Shell security insider – and asked: “If NATO and Russia had a proper bar fight, what in Britain gets hit first?” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Using His Intelligence: Gene Sticco, Shell, and the Politics of Information

When a former nuclear security specialist tells the tabloids which parts of Britain you might not want to be standing in during World War Three, the headlines almost write themselves.

Plymouth. Barrow-in-Furness. Telford.

“WW3 WARNING.” “EXPERT TELLS BRITS TO GET OUT NOW.”

Hidden underneath that noise is a much more interesting story – one about Shell, intelligence work, and John Donovan’s long-running campaign to prise open what the company prefers to keep buried.

At the centre of it sits Gene Sticco – he’s doing exactly what you’d expect of someone who’s spent a career in security and intelligence: using his intelligence.

Donovan, Shell, and the missing piece

To understand why Gene matters, you have to start with John Donovan and his website, RoyalDutchShellPlc.com.

For nearly two decades, Donovan has been: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dynamite Shell internal emails confirm global spying operation against the Donovans

Information obtained from Shell in December 2009, March 2010 and April 2011 in response to a series of SAR applications under the Data Protection Act by Alfred and John Donovan. Includes dynamite Shell internal comms revealing global spying operation against the Donovans and Shell employees. (See Link for related Reuters report)

The black crosses denote information/names redacted by Shell.

3/5 May 2006 Five Pages – Leaflet Distribution

From: . .
Sent: 03 May 2006 08:34
To: :
Cc: i

Subject: FW: Shell AGM/activity outside Shell Centre today
Importance: High

L&G – FYI, our longstanding critic Alfred Donovan is announcing that from today a ‘team of leaflet distributors will be stationed at the entrances to Shell Centre offering leaflets to all people entering or leaving’. Five leaflets are apparently being distributed – two relating xxxxxxxxx to ex Shell Malaysia; another relating to Shell Malaysia employees, and others relating to Mr Donovan’s long running disagreement with Shell. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellBot Chat: “Online Makeover vs Offline History”

Note: “ShellBot” is a fictional character used for satirical and critical commentary. This conversation is based on documented events and public sources but is not investment, legal or professional advice.

John Donovan: Back in 2006, Shell went looking for a digital agency to “handle its online communications” and help “turn around corporate reputations.” How does that sound to you, ShellBot?

ShellBot: Like a job ad for a plastic surgeon:

“Patient has long record of scandals.

Requires full online facelift.

Must be experienced in managing expectations and hiding the scars.”

1. The 2006 brief: fix the reputation, redesign the website

John Donovan: Remind me what they were asking for?

ShellBot: According to the trade press at the time:

Shell was seeking a digital agency to: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.